Pieces
by DeniBear
Summary: Quinn refuses to be gay and sleeps with Puck, getting pregnant in the process. Rachel's heart is broken to pieces and Santana comes along and is determined to make her whole again, and they end up falling in love. Things quickly become complicated.
1. A Broken Mess

**Pieces** _(1/3)_

**Chapter One: **_A Broken Mess_

**Rating: **_PG-13_

**Pairing(s): **_Rachel Berry/Santana Lopez, Minor Rachel/Quinn, Quinn/Puck_

**Disclaimer: **_I Don't Own Glee_

**Spoilers: **_Season 1 _

**Summary: **_Based on a prompt from the _**PezBerry**_ community. Basically, Quinn refuses to believe that she's gay and sleeps with Puck, getting pregnant in the process. Rachel's heart is broken to pieces and retreats within herself, quitting Glee; Santana comes along, however, and picks up the broken pieces to make her whole again, falling in love with each other along the way. Things quickly become complicated when Quinn begins to pursue Rachel again & Puck chases after Santana. (Paraphrased Summary)_

**Author's Note: **_This fic is based on the song Pieces by Red(absolutely beautiful song). This prompt wouldn't leave my head and being a secret!angst whore, I decided to take this as an experiment. My summer wasn't great so I took a break with all the fluffy stories I've been writing. Also, my sincerest apologies go to the Faberry shippers. D: _

**Author's Note 2: **_Certain events from the Back 9 will have already occurred before Sectionals. I'm just trying to make this a little interesting. Quinn's pregnancy will be revealed in the next part, Santana and Rachel's relationship will progress from there but not without angst getting in the way first. :O I'm not trying to insult religion here, either, so please don't be offended. I was influenced to write this by own experience when it came to my religious family members trying to convince me that homosexuality is wrong._

Quinn Fabray knows that deep down inside, she's truly in love with Rachel Berry. She's accepted that fact long ago but the problem is that she refuses to admit it outwardly to the aforementioned girl. Rachel understands why she can't say it to her yet, given their rocky history, but it still stings nonetheless when her own girlfriend can't verbally express how she feels about her. Physically, Quinn surely has no trouble showing the diva how much she wants her, how much she cares, and how badly she needs Rachel just as much as the other girl needs her. It's just that…saying "I Love You" to someone of the same gender felt so wrong and disgusting. Maybe it was the way Quinn was brought up, her religious upbringing constantly warring with the feelings that she tried suppressing for so long exhausting the hell out of her.

She didn't want to hurt the brunette more than she already had in the years prior before they got together. Quinn just didn't feel comfortable loving another woman, and she had already committed more than enough sins with the other girl in bed that she no longer has the right to take it all back. The head Cheerio could never confide to Rachel how she truly felt about their relationship, it would break her heart completely and it would kill Quinn to see the girl she wrongfully harbored feelings for break down. The youngest Fabray girl knew that she had a lot to lose should she ever succumb to the temptation of coming out to her ignorant family. She couldn't be a dyke. The confused girl abhorred the label because it made her uncomfortable thinking that she was one when it didn't seem to fit at all. After all, she was the captain of the Cheerio's, undoubtedly the most popular girl in school, and the hypocritical president of the Celibacy club for God's sake!

Quinn didn't want to be misunderstood. She just craved positive attention and thought her image as McKinley's HBIC(second to one Sue Sylvester) would be tainted should her unwholesome relationship with Rachel Berry be revealed. Insecurity. It was a monster that thrived underneath Quinn's stoic façade. She knew in the back of her mind that she shouldn't allow her reputation to get in the way of being in love with a girl as wonderful as Rachel. The blond cheerleader, however, couldn't help that she was being noticed by one Noah Puckerman. He was the perfect predator and she was the willing victim. Puck was on the football team, and although he may not have been the star quarterback, he still appealed to her more than she wanted to admit. He was extremely popular with the ladies and she couldn't blame them for being so smitten. The combination of that Mohawk and that confident smirk of his made her want to drop her panties and jump on top of him. The funny thing was that he couldn't elicit desire out of her and that bothered her very much for some reason.

With Rachel, it was a different story. One touch from the diva, and the cheerleader was soaking through her spankies. The brunette could make her experience an intense orgasm through foreplay alone and just thinking about her made Quinn's core throb with absolute want. No. That's disgusting. She shouldn't be fantasizing about another woman. '_Homosexuals are abominable creatures in the Lord's eyes' _Quinn heard her father's booming voice in the back of her mind and it made her shudder with fear. She personally believed in a hell and perhaps this was it. She can't love Rachel Berry. It wasn't allowed. It wasn't right. Not only would she be disowned by her parents, but she'd be disappointing God for engaging in sexual relations with another girl. As she thought once more of Noah Puckerman out of the blue, an idea struck her like lightning. Perhaps, she could convince herself and God that she was still untainted, that she wouldn't feel as filthy as she does now by making it all up with Puck. Even if sleeping with Puck meant sacrificing her loving relationship with Rachel, Quinn would go through with it.

She needed this more than anything else. Besides, this is what God would want, right? She can't be gay. It didn't feel right. Quinn didn't need Rachel in her life at all. She could be happy with a man. Society told her so and she believed it.

* * *

Brittany had thrown a pool party for New Directions to celebrate the success of Invitationals and almost every single member of the Glee club had shown up. The only exceptions were Puck and Quinn; this fact did not go unnoticed by Rachel. She had sent a few text messages to Quinn asking where she was and if she was going to make it to the party tonight. When Quinn had ignored them, Rachel called a few times and left three voicemails. Brittany was a little concerned with Rachel. She was supposed to be having fun and letting loose but her hellion of a girlfriend was making it difficult for the diva to enjoy the party. Santana was annoyed with the fact that Rachel was attempting to soothe herself with a barrage of fruity alcoholic beverages. The girl was a lightweight and after two wine coolers, Berry was already half-way gone and when she was drunk, the brunette managed to surpass a new level of annoyance that the Latina cheerleader kind of found endearing.

While it was indeed a little strange for Quinn to not have shown up at a party with her girlfriend, Santana was a little grateful for her and Puck's absence. Quinn had the tendency to piss Santana off because of her improper treatment of Rachel in public. While they did come out to both Brittany and Santana first, Quinn made it a big show to keep their relationship under wraps. Santana loathed the way Quinn had control over Rachel in such a way because while it broke her heart that they couldn't make it public, she agreed. That was totally _bougie. _When Brittany and Santana experimented with one another, they couldn't have cared less who knew about their little trysts. She was Santana fucking Lopez and she had nothing to be ashamed of. What Quinn was doing to Rachel was unfair and Brittany agreed. The diva deserved better than that. Santana could understand why Quinn would be so fearful about coming out but she can't keep hurting Rachel the way she is either. It was unhealthy. Not that Santana noticed or anything.

Puck's absence was much appreciated though a little worrisome. It was unlikely that he could have done anything to keep Quinn from attending the party. Sure, they were good friends but Puck is about as trustworthy as a politician. Santana knows that Puck has had his eye on Quinn for awhile now but for some reason, he's kept his distance. Even when she was with Brittany, Puck hounded on her for sloppy sex and unfortunately, she'd give in to his requests. That boy had a certain charm to him that she herself couldn't ignore but what happened between them was over now. He had a thing going on with almost every girl in the school so he definitely wasn't boyfriend material. Plus, his credit score sucked so he offered no security. Back to the topic at hand. Maybe Puck had finally mustered up the courage to chase after Quinn tonight, especially since she's been distancing herself away from Rachel recently. Again, not like she paid attention or anything. Really. Santana felt uneasy at the thought of Quinn cheating on Rachel Berry. It was certainly plausible. Oh God, would she really do that to her? _Stop. Right. There. Q would never do that. She's president of the Celibacy club and her image and reputation mean more to her than anything else. _The Latina reached over for a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade and twisted the cap off. She needed to relax.

Santana wanted to trust Quinn, she was her best friend. If the Hispanic cheerleader were to be honest, Santana was shocked that the dysfunctional relationship had lasted this long. They didn't really go well together considering their history and vastly opposing personalities. Besides, Quinn was still struggling to accept her sexuality while Rachel embraced her own proudly. She didn't understand what Rachel saw in Quinn in the first place anyway. She was an absolute bitch to her and constantly tormented her through middle school up until freshman year in high school. Rachel's feelings for the girl never faltered and they only heightened when Quinn admitted(shamefully) that she liked the Glee diva as well. Santana was bothered by the memories consuming her. Why was she thinking like this at all? Whatever issues Rachel and Quinn had should remain between the both of them. She shouldn't care so much, but she silently did anyway. Why would Quinn betray Rachel in the first place? She was loyal, talented, intelligent and beautiful. Sure, she had the tendency to annoy the hell out of you from time to time but that wasn't a flaw. That was who she was and Santana liked that about Berry. _'If Quinn ever so thinks about hurting her, I swear to God I'll…'_ Santana couldn't finish her train of thought.

Rachel had begun grinding against her suggestively and drunkenly to the rhythm of the music as Brittany had taken her spot behind Santana and forced the Latina to sway against them. She shouldn't be thinking negatively about a relationship she had no say in. Rachel was here tonight to have fun and let loose before Sectionals. Maybe Quinn and Puck weren't even hanging out together. They could have been off doing their own separate things. _Ugh. _She refused to think about it longer than she necessarily had to. When Rachel slipped her thigh between Santana's legs underneath her sinfully short skirt, Santana stopped thinking altogether and allowed their bodies to melt against one another.

Across the other side of town, Noah Puckerman was lying on his back with his hands hidden beneath his head as Quinn Fabray panted heavily against his bare chest.

The blond girl was angry with herself and thankfully, Puck was too into himself to notice her disappointed facial expression. The sex was alright at best. Uncomfortable, mostly, since she wasted no time mounting him before he had the chance to slip on a condom. She had been penetrated before, of course, given the sexual activities she participated in with Berry(of all people) but Puck was…big. It hurt a lot when she sheathed herself onto him without any protection but she was determined to restore her attraction to the opposite sex. She can't disappoint her father. She refuses to be disowned by her mother. This may have not been the best method to go about reviving her old self but something had to work somehow. It was Puck who broke the uncomfortable silence first when he noticed that Quinn was in deep thought. "Was I all that you expected, baby? Come on, you can tell the Puckerman anything. These whore lips won't tell a soul about what transpired between us tonight." He lightly joked, receiving a half-hearted chuckle from his lover.

Quinn peered up at Puck and he was ogling her bare breasts but only for a second as she playfully swatted him across the chest. She sighed and decided to vent a little. It couldn't hurt. "You were fantastic, " she lied, "but I have to be honest with you. I just needed a distraction tonight. Don't get me wrong, Puck, you're a totally nice guy and everything but I'm confused about something." She was nervous. The head cheerleader knew she shouldn't have started out saying something like that but that didn't seem to upset Puck at all. Instead, he raised a curious eyebrow and shot her a small smile. Quinn wishes she could have swooned at the sight. "What's on your mind, babe?" He asked, pressing his lips against her sweaty forehead before pulling away. God, that reminded her so much of what Rachel used to do to her every time they cuddled closely together after mind blowing sex.

She swallowed hard and continued. "Um…I know you're Jewish and everything but you believe in a God and I think you can help me out with something." She was breathing a little too heavily now, anxiety getting the best of her and she hated feeling vulnerable like this but she needed answers to her questions. Puck clearly had a look of confusion written on his face but he remained quiet and allowed the beautiful girl to finish. "Have you ever succumbed to a moment of weakness at one point in your life and allowed yourself to revel in it without regret? Because I want to know what that's like. Perhaps it's because the decisions I've been making haven't been the right ones and God is punishing me because I'm tainted. How do I wash away these sins of mine, Puck? How can I appeal to myself again?" She asked, genuinely curious as to how Puck viewed religion. The boy shifted uncomfortably, trying really hard to appreciate the sensitivity of the topic but why would he give a shit? They just literally _fucked _five minutes ago and Quinn was killing the mood.

"Don't you think you should be bringing this up with Berry or something? I know you guys hang out a lot and shit and she's Jewish too! She could probably, um, enlighten you or something. Aren't you guys like fr-" Puck never finished the sentence. At that moment, Quinn snarled and clawed at Puck's chest, her nails digging into his skin quite painfully.

"Why the fuck would I have anything going on with Man-Hands? You must be deluded into thinking I'd want to have anything to do with that Yeti!" Quinn harshly replied with venom suddenly lacing her tone as her hand tentatively ran down Puck's abdomen before she reached her destination. The football player was startled at her sudden outburst and wanted to protest but he was silenced effectively. Puck gasped when she gripped his cock almost too tightly, but he slightly moaned when she began stroking him, unable to keep himself from becoming hard again. _How dare he mention Rachel at a time like this_, _she's worse than the bubonic plague_! _She's ruined my life enough, hasn't she? _Quinn desperately wanted to forget what it felt like to be with Rachel, she couldn't do what she was doing with her anymore. Every woman needs a man just as much as a man needed a woman. She couldn't deny her heterosexuality any longer. She was tired of ignoring it due to her blindly pursuing an unhealthy, greatly unsatisfying relationship with another woman. Quinn observed Puck's reactions and while she didn't exactly feel aroused giving the boy a hand job, this was the way God had intended it to be. Only a woman could lay with a man. Only one could seek true happiness this way.

If that was the case, then why did this all feel so _wrong_? Why did she feel incredibly uncomfortable watching Puck come under her ministrations? Most importantly, why wasn't the guilt of cheating on Rachel disappearing? This would clearly take some time. It wasn't always easy to wash your sins away. She was determined to fix her sexuality. By tomorrow afternoon, when Rachel sobered up a bit, it would be over between the two of them. Quinn refused to be gay with Treasure-Trail of all people. This just had to work. Nothing was going to convince her otherwise.

* * *

"It's over."

Two words and Rachel was absolutely devastated. After the party on Saturday night, in which a Quinn Fabray did not attend, she knew something was terribly wrong. Her girlfriend had been behaving a little differently a few weeks prior to this unholy event and the brunette desperately tried to get Quinn to open up but to no avail whatsoever. The diva knew this was coming her way, she had foreseen it when they first got together, but she didn't think that it would hurt this much. Maybe it was because she assumed she could get Quinn Fabray to become emotionally invested in the relationship as well but it seemed like she failed miserably. As she always did with whatever relationships she built with anyone else. But the heartbreak wasn't the worst part. No, not at all. It was the public humiliation that came with it.

Quinn was in uniform with a grape slushy in hand and they were in the middle of breaking up in the not-so-private hallway of McKinley High School. Karofsky and Azimio were standing idly by with Big Quench drinks of their own and undeserving smirks plastered on their faces. A few Cheerios surrounded Quinn(thankfully not either Santana or Brittany) and were anticipating the ultimate humiliation of Rachel Berry. The brunette could feel her heart breaking into pieces because this was not how it was supposed to be. She had expected better of Quinn Fabray because over the course of the year they had been together, the blond cheerleader had grown into a much more improved version of herself. Or so Rachel thought. The fact that Quinn wanted to hurt the diva even more during this troubling process made the said girl's heart clench painfully within her chest. It seemed like she wasn't destined for happiness.

"Q-Quinn, can you please call off your friends? This is an issue that must be discussed privately and I'm not entirely sure I can handle the inevitable embarrassment coming my way!" Rachel pleaded with her girlfriend, her chocolate brown eyes glazing with tears threatening to spill. Quinn almost relented - almost - because Rachel looked positively beautiful when she cried and Quinn wasn't sure she could go through with this if she broke down right in front of her. She shook away those sympathetic feelings towards Rachel and raised an eyebrow mockingly. It was just so much easier being mean to someone she loved if it meant cleansing herself of the sins she shared with this particular person. "Shut it, Treasure-Trail!" Quinn said as loudly as she could, the light laughter in the background encouraging Quinn to continue with her verbal assault.

Rachel visibly flinched at the insult. It had been so long since Quinn had called her that and it hurt more now than it ever did in the past. She attempted to gather her dwindling self-confidence and tried to defend herself. "You're a coward, Quinn Fabray. If you feel the need to hurt me in front of an audience then what kind of person are you? I'm warning you, do not allow yourself to be peer pressured into doing this. You will regret it eventually." She said as haughtily as she could, raising her head up so she could appear a little intimidating. It didn't work. It only managed to light the fire burning within Quinn's soul. Quinn's hazel eyes darkened with misplaced hatred and growled at the younger girl quivering before her. No one was ever allowed to talk to her in such a way.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously as she squared her shoulders tightly and stood up straight, rousting the vicious beast from within to attack her victim without mercy(she inherited this from her father). The deadly sin known as wrath intertwined with Quinn almost beautifully and because she had become possessed by this monster, she would have no idea how much pain she would personally inflict on somebody she loved. "You think you know me so well, Berry. I find it unacceptable that you would think I'm doing this under any kind of pressure! I thought you were smart enough to realize that you deserve this. Your pathetic excuse of a life is laughable, but you're too fucking ignorant to understand why. Don't worry, I'll remind you." Quinn spat out hatefully. The source of her anger came from various things but no matter what, it will always originate to her repression and desperate need to be accepted by her peers. It still wasn't an excuse to act so cruelly towards someone she was supposed to care about.

"Your two faggot fathers are never home because they don't give one flying fuck about their loser of a daughter. Your birth mother disowned you twice because even she could see what a disappointment you really are. You have no friends because you're so goddamn annoying and pathetic, it's almost hilarious. Nobody likes you, Rachel, you're at the opposite end of the social spectrum because you belong there, you worthless dog!" The words felt so natural as they spewed from her lips, the weight of anger being lifted off her shoulders as she put Rachel 'Man-Hands' Berry in her fucking place. It felt good to channel the HBIC inside of her because people had been doubting Quinn recently. They had been talking behind her back ever since she stopped harassing Rachel at the end of their freshman year. She needed her audience back. She wanted to be feared again. What better way to end a sinful relationship with someone and regain her popularity back by degrading this person publicly? It was supposed to feel _good_ since she was restoring her image to appeal to everyone else & God again. Again, why did this feel so wrong instead?

Rachel felt her stomach plummet to the ground as she was being verbally abused by her girlfriend in front of the same audience that made her life a living hell on a daily basis. She swore she heard her own heart practically shatter like a mirror being broken into millions of pieces. She felt each piece of her drop to the floor as the essence of Rachel Berry vanished into the shards that fell. Rachel swallowed a choked sob as Quinn tossed the slushy she was holding in her face, laughing enthusiastically as she did so. Karofsky and Azimio followed suit and the combination of strawberry, grape, and blueberry corn syrup seemed like this wasn't the end of her torment just yet. She forced herself to keep calm as she took a few steadying breaths before she could run off into the nearest girl's restroom. When she looked up from the floor, Quinn was already gone and the sea of students parted due to Santana's and Brittany's presence. They had witnessed almost the entire thing and they couldn't believe what just happened.

Santana's lips were set into a straight line until her eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight before her from the opposite end of the hallway. Brittany couldn't take her teary icy blue eyes off of Rachel and immediately ran over to her. Rachel was occupied with whatever startled the fierce Hispanic cheerleader and turned her attention to the sight even though she would regret it instantly. Quinn had tossed the empty Big Quench cup into the nearest trash can and had enveloped Noah Puckerman in a hug, who had been waiting for her, before kissing him soundly. The remnants of Rachel Berry's broken heart had disintegrated completely as she broke down in the middle of the hallway, with Brittany trying to help her up when she fell limply to the ground. Santana was pissed off. She desperately wanted to run over there and strangle Quinn to death before the sound of Rachel's uncontrolled sobbing broke her out of her reverie. She didn't hesitate to run over to the girl as she helped Brittany lift a broken Rachel off the ground. She almost felt weightless and that worried Santana.

When Brittany made sure that Santana had a good grip on Rachel's almost lifeless form, she let go and began storming off in the direction that Quinn, Puck, Karofsky, and Azimio went. "Wait, B, where the hell are you going? Berry needs our help!" The Latina called out with a cracked voice, Rachel's muffled cries of desperation seeping into her soul and breaking her own heart in the process. Brittany turned around and Santana saw a dark look pass over her normally happy-go-lucky friend and she understood. Nobody messed with Brittany or the people she cared about apparently. "Rachel needs _you_, S, you can take of her now. Don't worry about me, I'll be right back." She told her with a menacing tone in her voice. Brittany could be scary when you pissed her off and it usually takes a lot to get her to that point. The Latina cheerleader nodded and carefully walked Rachel to her locker first, pulling out the bag that carried her emergency outfit, and guided her to the nearest restroom.

It was difficult listening to Rachel cry this much, it affected Santana in a way she couldn't understand so she tried to prevent her own tears from falling at the sight of Rachel sobbing against her chest. She didn't care if the corn syrup stained her Cheerio uniform, Coach Sylvester can go to hell for all she cared. Right now, this was about Rachel who seemed to be losing herself in this moment. Santana held her tightly and threaded her fingers in dark brown curly locks in order to soothe the depressed girl in her arms. "Shh, don't cry anymore, Rachel, please. I'm right here with you, you'll be okay…," she whispered cautiously into the other girl's ear as the smaller brunette shuddered against her. She honestly didn't know how to comfort Rachel when she was this broken so it scared her knowing that she could never appease the shorter girl. Her fears were confirmed when Rachel hiccupped and looked up at Santana with lifeless, brown eyes.

"Why do you care so much? I'm absolutely worthless." One sentence and it killed Santana. The Hispanic girl bit her lip as a dam broke from within and the tears fell freely before she embraced the other girl once more. They both clung to one another as they cried in unison, Rachel because she was hopelessly heartbroken and Santana…well, it's because this hurt her more than she was ever willing to admit. Santana kissed the top of Rachel's head and tucked her head underneath her chin. She wasn't sure how she was going to fix this. All she knew now was that Quinn fucking Fabray was going to pay, no matter at what cost. She should have known something was up but she can't blame herself just yet for what happened. Rachel was a broken mess and Santana was determined to make her whole again.


	2. A Making Sense of Who I Am

**Title: **Pieces (2a/3)

**Chapter Two(A): **Making Sense of Who I Am

**Rating: **PG-13

**Pairing(s): **Rachel Berry/Santana Lopez, Quinn/Puck

**Rating: **PG-13

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee.

**Spoilers: **Season 1

**Summary:** Basically, Quinn refuses to believe that she's gay and sleeps with Puck, getting pregnant in the process. Rachel's heart is broken to pieces and retreats within herself, quitting Glee; Santana comes along, however, and picks up the broken pieces to make her whole again, falling in love with each other along the way. Things quickly become complicated when Quinn begins to pursue Rachel again & Puck chases after Santana. (Paraphrased Summary)

**Author's Note: **I really appreciate the reviews, you guys are absolutely wonderful. If you have any one-shot prompts in mind, you can go ahead and message me. I need to crawl out of this Writer's Block stage I've hit pretty hard recently.

**Author's Note 2: **Since this is unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own. Brace yourselves, this chapter was broken into two parts for good reason and they're both **VERY LENGTHY**. I hope this didn't come out as too fluffy. I can just easily imagine Santana unintentionally embarrassing herself while trying to cheer Rachel up. Also, Twilight bashing ahead(but it's necessary, you'll see why). There will definitely be more angst in Part B since Quinn/Puck are going to be involved though. Anyway, enjoy!

Santana Lopez wasn't one for crying much. She, much like Sue Sylvester, believed that crying showed an immeasurable amount of weakness. What transpired yesterday afternoon left her in absolute disbelief. One, she didn't think that it was possible to go through the full range of emotions she was capable of feeling all at once and two, she wasn't sure why she was so impacted by Rachel's reaction to her humiliation at all in the first place. Yes, it was incredibly distressful to witness her _friend's _self-esteem submerge itself into a bottomless pit all because of a girl she loved but why did she react so strongly? She could have easily given Rachel back to Brittany in order to give those worthless pieces of shit hell and Santana knows for a fact that they would have each ended up hospitalized. But she stayed behind and practically nurtured the broken girl, like a part of her wanted to stay behind and attempt to soothe Rachel.

The Latina shook those thoughts away immediately, she didn't even want to think about what they meant. She was just mildly concerned for Rachel's well being after the whole unfortunate incident. _If by mild, you mean almost crying like a bitch after dropping her off at her house yesterday then yeah, you're only slightly worried. _Santana hated that she was fighting with herself in her own head trying to figure out why she cares about Rachel this much when they were barely _just_ friends anyway. She swallowed uncomfortably now, trying to distract herself from thinking why that status of their relationship bothered her so much. All that should matter is that Rachel was hurting and that she needed someone to be there for her after being punked liked that by some insecure troll that she herself unfortunately called her friend as well. _What the fuck is wrong with Quinn anyway?_

She threw away something really special without a second thought in the world, like it didn't matter that she hurt somebody so badly they may not emotionally recover for awhile. Quinn was lucky and she treated what she had in her grasp like complete shit. Rachel worshipped the ground she had walked on, doing whatever it took to please Quinn, caring for her when the captain of the Cheerios didn't deserve her attention. Santana would have sacrificed anything to have someone that wonderful taking care of her. Not that she wanted Rachel like that or whatever. It would just seem like a good change of pace to be in a relationship where you could talk about things that mattered, when you could cuddle that special person after sexy times, and you can do corny things like go out on dates and win your girl a stuffed animal somewhere_. Ugh_. Santana wasn't corny, she totally wasn't into doing small things like that but she did crave difference when it came to dating. Of all the people she's been with, it's only been about the sex and it eventually became very dull. Life wasn't about sex, something Santana learned the hard way, and she guesses that's when she began longing for something more. She also figures it's somewhat coincidental and relevant to this situation since that was when Quinn and Rachel started seeing each other romantically(if one can call it that). Not that Santana had been thinking about it that much. That'd be too weird.

Santana slams her fist against the steering wheel of her car when she realizes school is about to begin in about…now. "Son of a bitch." The Hispanic cheerleader mumbles groggily as she steps out of her vehicle, _enthusiastically _reaching for her bag before slamming her door and walking away. She's so glad that Coach called off practice this morning but she briefly wondered about what Sue's emergency was. She could have replaced herself with…wait, Santana can think of no one Sue would want to substitute for her. Again, Santana is pleased and she's relieved when she sees Brittany walking away from the dumpster in the parking lot and towards the main entrance of the school. She looked almost angry with her fists clenched at her sides so the Latina skips over to her best friend and taps her shoulder carefully. "What?" The normally cheery Cheerio says, looking surprised when she sees Santana retreating backwards.

The Hispanic cheerleader doesn't fail to notice that there are dark bruises surrounding her knuckles and that sort of terrifies/angers Santana. "Um, B, what the hell happened to your fists?" Just as quickly as the question had been asked, the answer came in the form of one Dave Karofsky struggling to crawl out of the dumpster across the lot. Brittany squared her shoulders, flipped her hair back and stormed towards the poor boy, who instantly began panicking when he saw that Brittany was marching off in his direction again. "GET BACK IN THERE, YOU PIG! NOBODY LIKES YOU." The blond Cheerio barked, causing a few of the other students who were nearby to look absolutely bewildered at the situation. Even Santana herself was impressed with the fact that Brittany could summon the secret beast that resided in everyone but B was normally happy and carefree 99.9% of the time so this made her uncomfortable as well. As soon as Brittany was satisfied with the fact that Dave had hidden himself in the dumpster again, she turned her attention to Santana and offered her a small smile.

"What was all that about?" The brunette asked cautiously, obviously not wanting to get on B's bad side.

"Don't worry about it, " She began, a dark look passing over her eyes for a brief moment before she brightened up again, "how's Rachel doing, S?" At that, Santana hesitated and stopped walking, guilt immediately flooding through her veins. She forgot to call her last night like she promised both Brittany and Rachel that she would, though the smaller girl might have not heard because she ran out of Santana's vehicle as quickly as she could when she was dropped off. Brittany recognized the guilty expression on Santana's face and immediately placed her hands on her hips, looking very stern with her friend right now. "What the hell, Santana? You know she needs someone to talk to right now. God, she's hurting and you ignore her. You're so mean!" She chides, an irresistible pout forming on her lips.

Santana was inwardly panicking at the sight, not knowing what to say to appease her best friend so she says the first thing that comes to mind. "Hey, you're her friend too, why am I obligated to comfort her, B?" Santana really wishes she could think before she speaks because now Brittany is mildly irritated with her. The tall blond Cheerio narrows her eyes but she replies calmly, starting out by stating the most obvious thing in the world. "Because she likes you, S." Santana unknowingly fell for the bait. "Well, duh, I like her too, she's my friend…why are you looking at me like that?" the Hispanic girl asks nervously while trying to decipher the suddenly smug facial expression Brittany wore on her face. Her mysteriously knowing smile grew even wider if that was possible but shrugged afterwards in response. Santana realized what she had just confessed and shuddered at what the possible implications meant. She did not need to start her day off like this so she decided to somewhat change the subject a bit. "Do you think she'll be in school today after all that's happened? Not that I'm like, you know, too worried or anything but still." Santana huffed in annoyance. With all that's running through her mind at this moment, she could barely make out a coherent sentence.

Brittany actually looked sad for a moment as she seriously about Santana's question. "It wouldn't be very Rachel-like if she started skipping school now. I mean I'd totally get why she would want to but it wouldn't be a good thing either if she did. It would mean that something's very wrong." Brittany finally said after a moment of awkward silence. It made perfect sense. This was one of those times that made Santana appreciate Brittany's secret wisdom but right now, her concern for a certain brunette's well being increased quite dramatically. "Maybe we're overlooking into this too much. We'll catch Berry later in Glee, don't worry B. She'll be fine." _I hope. _Santana thankfully managed to keep those two words from slipping out because Brittany believed her and they went on about their day. It wouldn't be until later that Brittany would call her out on her lie.

"Santana, something's obviously wrong! Why did you lie to me?" Brittany screeched into the Latina's sensitive ears. They were in the choir room standing near the piano arguing about Rachel's whereabouts as the rest of the Glee club members were pondering why they were making such a big show about their resident diva's absence. Santana felt awful for not sharing her suspicions with Brittany but she didn't want to worry her. Rachel clearly had a right to avoid Glee club today but that still didn't stop Santana from thinking the worst possible things imaginable. Quinn Fabray really did tear into Rachel's soul like a shark tearing into the bones of a human being. It must have really hurt and Santana couldn't imagine what it would have been like to have been in Rachel's position the other day. To have to stand there and listen to your own heart break as someone you love tells you how worthless you are…Santana felt her heart plummet at the memory of Rachel clinging onto her as she sobbed into the fabric of her Cheerio uniform, believing the lies her ex-girlfriend told her.

Once again, Santana felt her range of emotions fluctuating wildly because one moment, she felt utter despair at the idea of not being able to help Rachel and barely restrained _rage _at the source of Rachel's condition: Quinn. The aforementioned Cheerio appeared bored at the spectacle before her eyes and decided to speak up. "Why are you so worried about the troll? Isn't refreshing that we don't have Man-Hands bitching and complaining about how much we all suck compared to her? As if. Maybe yesterday taught her a lesson and she finally realized that's she's not good enough for _anything_." Quinn's comment shocked the rest of the Gleeks while Puck looked up at Quinn adoringly. Mercedes and Kurt threw each other '_What-the-fuck' _glances and Finn just looked dumbfounded. He thought Rachel and Quinn were friends…They were all too busy to notice the sudden flurry of movement that took place before them.

Santana was ready to tear Quinn's head off until Brittany pushed right past her and grabbed Quinn by the scruff of her neck and forced her to turn around. SMACK! The sound of skin slapping skin woke everybody up as they all stared wide eyed at the dopey Cheerio who was practically glaring daggers at Quinn Fabray. The smaller blond girl looked up at Brittany in disbelief and scoffed. "What the fuck was that for, B?" Instantly, Santana ran over to her friend's side and pulled her back as Puck did the same for Quinn. It was going to get ugly. "You have no right talking about Rachel like that! What's wrong with you? Don't you see what you did to her, you monster?" Brittany yelled, her face completely red with a visible vein popping out from her neck. Santana had never seen her best friend this furious before. While Brittany expressed her displeasure with things through sadness and cute pouts, she was never known for her anger. This was certainly new. Santana failed to notice Quinn wincing at Brittany's comment, whether it was from the tone of voice or what she implied.

Santana had to use a lot of strength to restrain Brittany from apparently jumping on the shorter blond and managed to pull her back a few steps. "Let go of me, S, I have to…I'm skipping Glee today. I need to make sure Rachel's okay. She hasn't answered any of my calls or texts. You can come too if you care." Brittany spat out quite viciously, pushing herself away from Santana. As she neared the exit, Mr. Schuester came in through the door with a dopey smile on his face until it faltered when he noticed Brittany's facial expression. "What's going on?" He asked, unfortunately unaware of McKinley's recent events. The blond Cheerio rolled her eyes and just walked past him, Santana following suit.

As Santana tried to keep up with Brittany's pace, she pulled out her phone and sent Berry another text message, making it the twentieth she's sent to her today. **"B and I r coming over 2 ur house whether u like it or not." **She was still attempting to process what just happened but nevertheless, her heart soared at the idea of checking up on Rachel. It would be about damn time they did something about rather than ask questions nobody else can answer but the diva herself. When they reached Santana's car, she looked over at the Latina expectantly before she unlocked the doors, allowing Brittany to just jump in right away. The drive over to Rachel's house was awkward to say the least but Santana figured her friend had a right to feel angry after what happened today. When they pulled into Rachel's driveway, they noticed that one of Rachel's fathers were home and it made them a little nervous that they had to answer to him first before anything.

Brittany, in her haste, jumped out of the vehicle before Santana could put it in park and sprinted after her best friend. After ringing the doorbell approximately twenty times before a response was made, both Brittany and Santana jumped back at the sight of a stressed out Owen Berry, Rachel's daddy. He glared at the tall blond cheerleader before attempting to slam the door right back in their faces but Brittany pushed the door back with just as much force. "Mr. Berry, you're confusing me with Quinn again. Can you please let me and Santana check up on Rachel? We need to see if she's okay…", Brittany whispered softly, the elder Berry clearly hesitant on whether or not he should disobey his daughter's orders. He sighed before he stepped aside, allowing the two girls to enter his home without much of a fight. "I don't think she'll be okay, not for awhile at least. Not after what your trollop of a friend did." He muttered, nodding in the direction of the stairs before the girls started moving along.

"S, why did he just call Quinn a lollipop?" Brittany asked, looking completely serious as they walked along Rachel's hallway. Santana thankfully fought the urge to smile and curtly replied, "It means whore, Brit. Now where is Berry's bedroom?" When they found a door with a gold star decorated on the surface of it, they carefully pushed it open and found a terribly depressing sight. Rachel's room, which remained completely impeccable, the person who owned it appeared nothing short of a broken mess. The small diva was curled into a ball on her bed, whimpering quietly as she held a beloved photograph of Quinn and herself at the state fair. Brittany had been tense since yesterday but apparently, the sight of a crying Rachel melted her heart and she loosened up before she strode over to where Rachel had been laying. Santana felt a little tug in her heartstrings, listening to the quiet words Rachel was muttering to herself.

"…why does it hurt so much? Am I ever going to be good enough to be loved? I'm so ugly, why do I even bother…I'll never measure up to anyone's standards because I'm a wo-worthless dog!" She sobbed, clutching the photo in her hands even tighter and something almost snapped within Santana, unshed tears threatening to spill before she blinked them back. She was more badass than this. No matter how much this killed her, she would do whatever it took to bring back a smile on that beautiful girl's face. She walked over to the bed where the small brunette had been laying on and sat down beside her. Rachel surely noticed their presence but she didn't acknowledge them, especially when Brittany began tucking a few strands of stray hair behind her ear. "Rachel…honey, do you want to talk about it? We all know what Quinn did was extremely wrong and I'm sorry we couldn't be there on time to stop it." The blond whispered soothingly as she attempted to pull the picture away from the crying girl.

Rachel growled at Brittany and pulled the picture right back though Brittany wasn't giving up without a fight. "What are you doing? This is mine, you hear me? It's the only shred of evidence I have left of Quinn actually loving me. If I let this go, I know I'll forget what it was like to be loved because it's never happening to me again!" The meek girl screeched weakly, sitting up so she could use up her remaining strength to preserve memories that she knows she'll never relive again. Santana became anxious when Brittany stood up and yanked the picture away, tearing it into pieces right in front of Rachel's face. The Latina leaped right into action and reached for Rachel, wrapping her arms around the girl to keep her from jumping her friend in her current state of mind. It was strange holding Rachel against her because for the second time, the brunette relaxed immediately into her arms. The diva huffed in annoyance before tears began spilling again, her cries being ignored by an irritated blond Cheerio.

"That's bullshit, Berry. Just because you've only been in one relationship, a really crappy one at that, it doesn't mean you're not going to be loved again. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Brittany scolded, making Rachel actually flinch at her unfriendly tone. Brittany's expression softened at the sight and sat beside the distressed girl on the other side, wrapping her arm around her as she laid her head on Rachel's shoulder. "You're beautiful Rachel and you deserve to be treated with respect. Santana and I will be there for you when you need us. Just don't miss school anymore, it made **us** worry a lot." When Rachel raised a skeptical eyebrow, Santana knew that was directed towards her. It was well-known throughout Lima that Santana Lopez was a badass, she needn't worry about such trifle things that didn't concern her. At this uncomfortable thought(since when did Rachel occupy the majority of Santana's mind at all?), the taller brunette swallowed hard and attempted to correct Brittany, but no words could come out. It was the truth after all…but only a little bit of it needed correction. Really. Santana just grunted in response so she could appear nonchalant but Brittany saw through her quickly. She smirked for only a brief second before returning her attention to Rachel.

"While I agree that ignoring my need to stay right on track with my academic endeavors is unhealthy, I don't think I'm willing to set myself up for even more humiliation by seeing her at school, Brittany. I don't think my heart is up for it, at least not yet. I'm too ashamed of myself to step foot in that school anymore. I mean, she thoroughly destroyed my self-esteem publicly. She used my vulnerability against me and…insecurity can inflict a lot of damage. The consequences will always be dire." By the end of her necessary rant, Rachel choked on a sob before leaning away from the blond cheerleader and back into the awkward embrace Santana offered her. The Latina was positively fuming at Rachel's statement. Quinn and Puck didn't deserve to breathe. In Santana Lopez's world, violence was always the answer and it always solved her problems in ways verbal communication never could. She just wasn't sure what their punishment would be…Anyway, she had to take over from here, she's been silent ever since they entered Berry's bedroom.

"You know what, Berry? If you don't want to go back to that ridiculous excuse of a school, then I'm down with that. Just, um, if you need someone to talk to, you can always count on me. Oh, and Brittany too of course. If you want, B and I can bring you any missing assignments you may have and we can hang out. If that's okay with you!" Santana exhaled nervously, knowing fully well she sounded like a jackass. She was never that great at comforting other people anyway. It was just…not in her nature but to protect those she cared about? Fuck yeah, she'd do whatever it takes to make them, you know, happy again and some sappy shit like that. Her thoughts ceased immediately when she felt Rachel fling her arms around her neck and pulled her closer. _Is this what normal people called a hug? My god. It feels more sensual than it should. _Santana awkwardly held her and rubbed her back in small, soothing circles that seemed to appease the diva. Again, she ignored the shit eating grin on Brittany's face and decided to speak up again. "So…you're cool with us dropping by and all? I mean, I totally get why you're taking a break but hey, don't take advantage of us since we're going to be your slaves and all." Santana said with mirth in her eyes, causing a small giggle to escape from Rachel.

"I really appreciate your sincere efforts in attempting to cheer me up. Honestly, I don't know what I'd be doing right now other than crying my eyes out. Say, would you accompany me tonight? We could participate in simple activities that revolve around watching movies, playing UNO or perhaps even Scrabble, or maybe even…", Rachel's excited rambling was cut off by Santana lightly pressing her finger against the singer's lips. She had a wide grin on her face as she watched a dark red color tint her soft, smooth cheeks. "Sure, Berry. We'll chill with you tonight. Whatever's bothering you won't be on your mind by the end of tonight." With that uncertain promise, Santana reached across Rachel's lap to link pinkies with Brittany and they all pulled her into a group hug. Though Rachel was wary of Santana's assurance that she'd be alright by later that same evening, she didn't hold it against her when she broke down not even an hour later.

They had popped in The Notebook, due to Rachel's insistence since it was her absolute favorite movie, she suddenly remembered that it too was Quinn's favorite movie. She began hyperventilating, memories of an argument that occurred between the two former lovers that included Quinn's preference for Ryan Gosling rather than Rachel McAdams playing in her mind like a never ending horror movie. It wasn't long when she started going off about how flawed she was, how she was incapable of attracting anybody, and how she didn't blame her mother for disowning her twice. "Shelby was in her right mind to throw me out, I'll never be good enough. I'm surprised my fathers lasted this long tolerating my worthless existence without going insane!" Brittany had started to cry, especially when Rachel stormed upstairs to her bathroom and locked herself in there for about half an hour. Santana and Brittany exchanged looks. They both knew it wasn't going to be easy to reclaim the old Rachel Berry but they swore they wouldn't give up on trying to revive her.

A week had gone by and throughout the entire seven days, Santana was truly struggling to remain patient with the girl she had promised to make whole again. Rachel still hadn't attended school because she was still too embarrassed to walk down the halls but really, it was because she couldn't stand to see Quinn being happier with someone else. Especially if that person was the notorious man-whore, Noah Puckerman. One day, Brittany and Santana had come over Rachel's house and brought her some homemade cookies and the girls had a pretty decent time, minus the constant whining coming from Rachel whenever they watched something dealing with romance on television. Santana was slowly losing it. She remained dutiful, however, under constant reassurance from Brittany that Rachel would break out of this slump that she was in soon.

When Rachel did decide to come back to school, Brittany and Santana surrounded the girl the moment she stepped onto school property. She had been anxious, which was to be expected, but Santana promised her that she wouldn't let anything happen to her. Little did she know, she had spoken too soon. When the girls separated from each other to attend their classes, Rachel had unfortunately run into Puck. He had a Big Quench in his hand and Quinn Fabray hanging off his free arm and the next thing she knew…she was dripping with cherry red slush ruining the cute outfit she had picked out today. The laughter hurt a lot but it was Quinn's vicious comment that stung the most. "Why'd you even bother returning back to school, Stubbles? Nobody missed you. God, you're so fucking _stupid_." Puck barked out loud with obnoxious laughter and that caused her to run into the nearest restroom as quickly as possible. As she cleaned herself off, she was beginning to chant something that sort of resembled a prayer though in the unpleasant sense. "Dear God, I wish I could disappear. I'll never be pretty enough. I'm certainly not talented enough. Will never be smart enough. I'm not even good enough. Why do I live? I'm better off dead. Please, God, just take me away." She kept repeating this over and over again as she ran her fingers through her hair, looking almost like a zombie as she did so.

She didn't necessarily like the things she had been saying to herself but they must be true if Quinn Fabray, Shelby Corcoran, and the rest of the world thought so. She was selfish, annoying, bossy, a worthless know-it-all, and a lonely Jew dyke as some of the Jocks now referred her as thanks to Quinn. All in all, Rachel Berry loathed her life, something she never thought she'd ever be capable of feeling about herself. She was taught to ignore peer pressure, to rise above the rest when people tried to put her down but this has been going on her entire life. She was absolutely helpless now. One can take only so much abuse before they finally break. Maybe this was her breakdown. If it was, she wanted it to end but with her status at school, her ex-girlfriend flaunting herself with her new amazing boyfriend, absent fathers, and a biological mother who didn't give a damn about her…Rachel felt like she had every reason to be depressed and gave up on trying to better herself.

Santana Lopez and Brittany were absolutely furious with the people who continued to humiliate Rachel Berry. They were distracted when the first incident occurred but they had taken her home immediately afterward to get her to change into a new outfit before returning to school. However, they didn't think their presence around the girl would go unnoticed. No matter how many people Santana threatened and no matter how countless injuries Brittany would inflict on the popular kids, Quinn and Puck somehow motivated the kids into doing more and more damage to the school's resident "loser". Rachel never even wanted to think about what would happen if she returned to Glee now that Quinn was taking all the female solos and Puck her leading man. Now Rachel had absolutely nothing to look forward to. Quinn stripped away everything that ever meant to Rachel and it _killed _her. Rachel continued to exist, of course, but in reality, she was an empty vessel that had no direction in life anymore. As the next two weeks passed, she pushed away the only two people that bothered caring for her, reacted to the verbal abuse and slushy attacks calmly as if she weren't being harassed, and stopped singing altogether. It was too much for Santana Lopez to handle.

Santana was in a rage as she stormed into Berry's house with a concerned Brittany closely following her, the Latina determined to wake Rachel the hell up. She could hear Brittany speaking, probably protesting the methods in which Santana was about to use to reclaim Rachel but she wasn't hearing any of it. Rachel _needed_ this. By the time they reached Rachel's bedroom door, it was locked but that didn't stop Santana though Brittany desperately tried to. The enraged Hispanic cheerleader pounded on the door with her fists as hard as she could, screaming at the girl on the other side of the door. "Open this fucking door, Berry, I've had it with your bullshit! I swear on my life if you don't respond in the next ten seconds, I will knock this barrier down and I will get you." She threatened, Brittany's complaints completely ignored. When Santana heard the door unlock and watched as the door slowly opened to a crack, she couldn't wait anymore and shoved the door with as much strength as she could possibly gather, which was a lot. The door slammed all the way backwards as Rachel's shaking form retreated from the sight of a pissed off Santana Lopez.

Brittany instantly ran over to Rachel's side and stood in front of her protectively, glaring at her friend for being so insensitive and cruel. Santana didn't give a shit, she came here to revive the essence that was Rachel Berry. "W-what do you think you're doing Santana? Don't you realize that what you're doing is completely unnecessary and illegal, considering you just broke into my house!" Rachel fired at the feisty cheerleader standing before her, not backing away from the intense glare she was receiving. The Hispanic girl growled and lightly tapped against Rachel's chest with the point of her finger before replying harshly. "Sit down. Shut up, and fucking listen to me," she began, encouraging Brittany to sit herself down with Rachel and the girl complied, but reluctantly. "What the fuck is wrong with you? For the past two weeks, where the hell have you been, Berry? Don't answer those questions because they're rhetorical. I'm going to talk you to death first before you open your mouth, do you understand?" The smaller brunette sent her an icy stare in response and Santana almost wanted to congratulate Rachel for at least retaining some of her old self before she became this whiny, overemotional shadow of her former self. Granted, she was always overemotional but she was passionate about what she felt. This version of her? Well, she knows she's said this way too many times already but there was no Berry essence to her anymore. That's what Santana missed the most.

"You've been ignoring us while we're here still hanging on because we care about you. Do you think that's fair to us? No. Rachel, all you've been doing for the past month is moping around and acting like a total douche bag like that fictional bitch Bella Swan. Over what? A shitty, emotionally abusive relationship you didn't deserve?" Santana was red in the face at this point, trying to calm herself down from yelling but she couldn't help it. All these feelings she'd been repressing were coming out at this point. Instead of being allowed the chance to explain her analogy, Rachel suddenly shot up from where she had been sitting and got right in the face of Santana Lopez. They were standing toe to toe and nose to…well, technically forehead because of the height differences but Rachel was looking up at her defiantly. "Excuse me, Santana Lopez? Did you just compare me, Rachel Barbara Berry, to the most vile, pathetic excuse of a female 'protagonist' character ever unfortunately written in the history of literature?" The smaller girl yelled, looking absolutely offended from the ultimate insult anyone has ever thrown at her.

Santana had to be honest, she was baffled that throughout her rant that Rachel was paying more attention to the fact she just compared her to a fictional Mary-Sue character. No matter. What secretly thrilled the Latina was the fact that Rachel had stood up to her, and nobody was ever allowed to invade the Hispanic cheerleader's personal space like this before. So this was good. This was definitely progress. "Yes, I just did, Berry. You know why? Because all you fucking do is pine away for somebody who didn't love you or treat you with the respect in the first place. It's just an insult to feminism everywhere and I thought you of all people would understand that. Yes, I get why you're hurt but you need to move on. There's always a better choice out there for you." Santana was more calm this time around, and she could see Rachel thinking long and hard about what she had just said to her. Good. She needed to. Rachel's chocolate brown eyes widened for a brief second, before she narrowed them as a small smile broke across her face.

"Like who, Santana? A creepy pedophile that can shape shift into a giant dog? I don't think so, that seems unhealthier than the first choice." At first, Rachel's sarcastic response flew right over Santana's head and was about to reply with a "what the fucking are you talking about?" before Brittany's laughter distracted both of the feuding girls. Both brunettes glanced at the laughing blond for a moment, both wondering what was up with her. "Oh my god, you two are so dumb but it's cute. So much UST. You guys can't even argue with each other, it's adorable." Brittany said through giggle snorts, wiping the tears away from her face before she smiled brightly at them. Santana blanched. She knew what UST meant but she was hoping that Rachel didn't have a clue about what Brittany was talking about. And God Bless Santana's soul because Rachel looked confused, wondering what the hell those three letters could possibly mean but since it was Brittany, probably nothing.

Before either of the cheerleaders could say anything, Rachel finally broke the awkward silence. "I meant to tell you that I get what you're trying to say Santana. I couldn't resist making that joke first though but anyway, I didn't realize how poorly I've been behaving until you pointed it out to me. Clearly, the yelling and the swearing was uncalled for but I understood the point perfectly well." The smaller brunette looked bashful at this moment, ducking her head as she stared at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Santana's heart melted at the sight and the tension she felt before left her body immediately when she pulled the smaller girl into a hug. Rachel was ashamed of herself for allowing herself to succumb to the negativity that followed an embarrassing break-up but she was so helpless against her own insecurities. Thankfully, she had Santana and Brittany as friends to look out for her when she needed them the most. "It's okay, Rachel. Shit happens. We just wanted you to wake up from the hell you've been putting yourself through. And Glee is not the same without you. We miss you so much. We want you to come back, it would make you happy again, Berry. You know it would. Fuck Quinn, okay? She doesn't matter." The Latina felt foreign tears beginning to form in her eyes and again she had to blink them back. Crying was an unfamiliar concept. She was Santana Lopez, she was more badass than this.

When Brittany threw her arms around the two girls, the three of them remained hugging for quite some time before curiosity got the best of Rachel and decided to speak up in order to lighten the mood. "You're amazing Santana, really, I don't want to question your self-proclaimed 'Badass-ness' but…how do you know so much about Twilight?" The diva was sporting the same shit eating grin Brittany was as both girls burst out into loud annoying laughter. Santana remained perfectly still, blushing furiously at the question Rachel asked. Unfortunately, Brittany decided to answer for Santana. "She only knows so much because Quinn liked the series. One time, she tried to compare Twilight to Harry Potter and Santana blew up on her. That's why Quinn had a broken nose." Again, Santana felt her face burning with absolute humiliation as both of the girls continued to laugh at her expense.

"Is that what that was? Oh my God, Santana. You nerd."

That's when Santana snapped out of her silence and barked at Brittany. "You asshole, you promised you wouldn't say anything about that!" Brittany giggled even more and just winked at Santana before Rachel stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't get all butt hurt, Lopez, at least we have something major in common and we have something to bond over. You look so cute when you're frustrated by the way." At the promise of bonding with Rachel, something clicked within Santana. The girl's mood had dramatically improved. Regardless that she had to be humiliated for it, nothing made her happier than getting _her _Rachel back. When Rachel released her grip, she smiled at both of her friends with slight tears visibly forming her eyes. "Thank you so much for everything. I know it isn't going to be easy but I'm going to get better as long as I have you two by my side. You two are simply wonderful. Now if you excuse me, I need to clean myself up. Let's have dinner together, okay?" She said before turning around to walk away before receiving some sort of acknowledging answer from the girls. When she was gone, Santana turned on Brittany instantly.

"The fuck did you mean by UST, B? You know what it means, right? I think you've been smoking too much pot." Santana knew she was being cruel by blaming Brittany's naivety on marijuana but she was uncomfortable by Brittany's assumption. Brittany only raised an eyebrow and replied calmly.

"Duh, of course I know what it means and you two have it. Untidy Sexual Timing. It's like suffocating me when you two are in the same room as me."

Santana was actually rendered speechless. She wasn't sure whether to celebrate that Brittany truly didn't know what it meant or that it should worry her.

"Unresolved Sexual Tension, Brit. That's what it means."

"That sounds so stupid, San. It doesn't make sense. Besides, I don't know what those words mean."

Santana face palmed before a huge smile broke across her facial features. God, she loved her best friend so much, it wasn't even funny. Despite what she meant, Santana chose to ignore it and decided to focus on how happy she was to get her Rachel back. It was about damn time too. Despite the obstacles that lay ahead of them, she knew she was capable of making Rachel whole again.

When they returned to school the following day, Rachel was in a much better mood. She was still anxious about returning to Glee club but she knew she had to confront her fears. Rachel Berry was determined to reclaim her spot as the female lead for New Directions and she would make Finn her partner again. She didn't care how but she was going to knock Noah Puckerman and Quinn Fabray out through her ability to overcome everything that happened between them. As for the slushy attacks, they definitely stopped. Dave Karofsky tried cornering Rachel in the hallways but was met with Santana's fist instead. He went to the nurse later that afternoon claiming he got fell down the stairs and landed on his jaw. Santana didn't fail to notice that none of the popular kids were targeting Rachel today so she knew something was off but she just had to figure out what exactly was going on.

When it was time for Glee club, Rachel strolled right into the choir room with Brittany and Santana on either side of her with a bright smile on her face. She ignored the fact that Noah and Quinn were glaring at the other kids from the opposite side of the room until they walked in the room. The head Cheerio glanced up at the sight of Rachel and her heart began hammering against her chest. _She was okay._ When the other New Directions members finally noticed that Rachel had returned, they said nothing to acknowledge her presence. Instead they continued to gossip with one another. Santana and Brittany were offended on Rachel's behalf but she decided to be upfront with everyone. Again, she ignored the intensity of Quinn's stare and remained oblivious to obvious tension hanging in the air.

"Well I don't think you all heard me correctly when I walked in. I said that I'm returning to the Glee club after a much necessary break and I fully intend on reclaiming my spot as your best female lead. I thought my return would be much more anticipated than this. I'm actually not surprised that you haven't asked where I've been but I suppose that's okay…" Rachel was rambling again and as cute as it was Kurt and Mercedes had to interrupt her. Mercedes politely shushed the smaller girl and pulled her to the side where nobody else could pay attention to them. In the background, she could hear Quinn protesting something but she remained focused on what her friendly rival was trying to say. "It's good to see you, Rachel, but you have bad timing. The glee club has just been hit with its first scandal…I don't know how to say this but…Quinn is pregnant."

Rachel's heart froze at the mention of Quinn's pregnancy. She felt herself paling at the idea of Quinn and Puck having sex but that wasn't the worst part. Quinn Fabray was pregnant. Her former lover who had promised her the world when they were together was with child, something that Rachel herself could have never provided to the other girl. Kurt cautiously walked over to Rachel and attempted to rub her shoulder soothingly, like he knew something about her as well. "I'm sorry, Rach. She said she wasn't going to…you know, get rid of it, so that's a good thing. Right?" She could no longer hear any of their voices as they attempted to comfort her. All the blood had rushed to her head and she was on the verge of yet another emotional breakdown. This was Quinn's way of expressing her hatred to her. During the next eight months, Quinn would be carrying proof of how much she truly loathed Rachel for…everything they had done together as a couple. This was her way of cleansing herself of homosexuality.

Just as Santana had finished laughing at Quinn's condition, she sneered at the pregnant Cheerio and said, "Serves you right, Q. Pathetic, isn't it Berry?" When she didn't receive an immediate response, her heart plummeted again because Rachel was barely beginning to recover from what had happened to her in the past month. This is so not what they needed at the moment. Quinn just loved making her life complicated. When she turned around, she found Rachel running away from the Wonder Twins and the girl ran out of the choir room crying as loudly as she possibly could. Santana felt her heart swell with pain and she didn't hesitate to follow Rachel out the door, despite after hearing Quinn weakly calling out Rachel's name in absolute despair.

Santana was sprinting down the hallways but it didn't take her long to find Rachel, who was trying to run away from her. _Oh hell no, no one ever runs away from Santana Lopez. _When the Hispanic cheerleader caught up to her, the smaller brunette was weakly fighting against her, telling her to leave her alone but Santana enveloped her in a bear hug she knew that Rachel would be unable to fight against. She held the girl tightly in her arms and kissed the top of her head many, many times before Rachel relaxed in her arms. She was still weeping but Santana didn't mind the fact that her cheerleading uniform would be stained once again by Rachel's tears. "Why does it hurt so much, Santana? I know I'll g-get over her b-but this hurts more than anything. She'll be c-carrying physical evidence of her hatred of me for r-ruining her! Why can't I be strong like you, San?" Rachel murmured Santana's beloved nickname against her chest and looked up at the Hispanic girl expectantly.

Santana finally allowed her tears to fall once more at the sight of a broken Rachel. She fucking hated seeing the girl in so much pain. She had dealt with more than enough bullshit in her life, why couldn't it be easy for her? The Latina swallowed hard before pressing a gentle kiss on her nose, pulling away to make sure Rachel would understand her better. "Don't be ashamed to cry, Rach, you have every right to feel hurt. But don't let that irresponsible bitch run your life because you're so much better than that. Don't run away anymore, Rachel, it's not good for you. You are strong, I know you are, and I'll be damned if I let Preggers destroy you."

"I won't ever abandon you, I'm here for you as your friend…You're admirably strong Rachel, I promise you that you will overcome these hardships. Remember, this is high school, it won't last forever. It's going to be hard but I swear on my life I will help you make sense of who you are. I will make you whole again, Rachel, I swear to God I will!" Santana didn't realize how passionate she was until Rachel had stopped crying and reached over to caress the taller girl's cheek and wiped away the tears that had run down her own cheeks. Santana's first reaction was to blush but when Rachel's eyes sparkled adorably with hope, she smiled at the smaller girl.

"I believe you."

With that, Rachel balanced herself on the tips of her toes as she leaned up to place a gentle kiss against Santana's nose before curling herself into the taller girl. Santana encircled the smaller girl's waist and pulled her closer. It was as if Santana couldn't get enough of Rachel. She needed the other girl in her life and Santana didn't care about how sappy she sounded…but she loved Rachel Berry more than anything at this moment and she was very unwilling to let her go.

…

_Wait, what?_


	3. B The Beauty in Hardship

**Title: **Pieces (2b/3)

**Chapter Two(B): **The Beauty in Hardship

**Rating: **PG-13

**Pairing(s): **Rachel Berry/Santana Lopez, minor Quinn/Puck

**Rating: **PG-13

**Length: **Epic - 8500+

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee.

**Spoilers: **Season 1

**Summary: **_Based on a prompt from the PezBerry community. Basically, Quinn refuses to believe that she's gay and sleeps with Puck, getting pregnant in the process. Rachel's heart is broken to pieces and retreats within herself, quitting Glee; Santana comes along, however, and picks up the broken pieces to make her whole again, falling in love with each other along the way. Things quickly become complicated when Quinn begins to pursue Rachel again & Puck chases after Santana. (Paraphrased Summary)_

**Author's Note: **_This chapter was inspired by the song 'Damaged' by Assemblage 23. The first half of the chapter will definitely focus on Quinn and her regrets as well as her interactions with Rachel. (I apologize to those who would dislike this but it's necessary)Puck, well…he's just the person he thinks he's supposed to be. Warning: Very Lengthy!_

**Author's Note 2: **_Again, this is unbeta'd and all mistakes are my own. Thank you for your reviews & please continue to enjoy. Also, I think PezBerry is my new OTP…3 If anyone could kindly point out where I can get my greedy hands on PezBerry icons for LJ, I would certainly appreciate it._

Quinn Fabray was absolutely depressed. Never before had she felt so dirty and unclean laying in bed next to a _boy _who didn't respect her. She clutched the boy's bed sheets tightly against her bare chest and turned away from his sleeping form. His back had been facing her but she didn't want him to recognize the look of regret hiding behind her eyes in case he woke up and turned to face her. She sighed heavily to herself as she stared out the window in front of her, the pale moonlight shining across her skin almost beautifully. Her fingers began toying with the cross necklace she didn't bother taking off when Puck stripped her of her clothes and plunged deep inside of her without acknowledging her hiss of discomfort. She no longer cared about whether or not it offended the deity she believed in, this particular cross was already tainted and she despised everything it stood for.

Quinn Fabray had been wearing this cross the night she decided to ruin everything good in her life while under the influence of stupidity and arrogance. This cross no longer held any special meaning to her anymore because now it only mocked her with its representation of self-loathing, insecurity, and worst of all…it was just another reminder of her unwanted pregnancy. Quinn swallowed hard and carefully sat up straight from where she had been laying, quickly glancing over at Puck's sleeping form before scooting herself over to the edge of his bed. Despite being naked, she gracefully stood up and walked over to the windowsill and leaned against it, folding her arms across her chest as she did so. She was disappointed in herself. Ever since that painful night of the party, she had been feeling nothing but guilt yet she ignored those feelings and continued to thrive as the Head Bitch in Charge as if nothing could take away the power she held. Now here she was a month later, questioning every decision she has ever made in her life.

She hurt the most important person in her life very badly. For what? To end up carrying some bastard's child from an attempt to cleanse herself of her homosexuality that she continues to deny? It was ridiculous. Rachel had been there for her more than anyone else has and she carelessly tossed her aside to gain approval from God, who was probably saddened by the fact that she misinterpreted love in the most embarrassing way possible. It was perhaps the worst mistake she has ever made and it was now beginning to finally catch up with her. She was the one who ordered a full time slushy attack on McKinley's resident diva, who unfortunately had to bring two-three extra outfits just to survive the day at school. She may have seemed apathetic to Rachel's situation but in reality, it was killing her to hurt the person she refused to love anymore. In her mind, at first, it was okay to cleanse herself of her sins by committing these random acts of supposed hate to somebody who condemned her. It wasn't like that at all though.

Rachel had taught her how to love, and how to fully embrace it with somebody who truly cared for you. Quinn may have been reluctant to enter the relationship with Rachel but at the time, she just wanted to follow her heart and allowed herself to be open with the other girl. It was awkward at first, sure, but over time Rachel Berry grew on Quinn and she stuck by her side no matter how badly she had treated her when she regressed. Quinn grimaced at the memories of her and Rachel together. What could possibly possess Quinn to do the awful things she did to Rachel Berry after one year of being together? She can't recall how many times she felt her heart clench at the sight of the brunette's face twisting in pain and eyes filling up with sorrow with each insult and slushy she had no right to throw in her face. She threw all that she had away to maintain her status at school, to appeal to the Lord as a faithful heterosexual, and to not disappoint her parents by coming out as a lesbian because God knows what her father would do if he ever found out about her relationship with Rachel.

Quinn began to panic at this point, trying to figure out how Russell Fabray would punish her if he discovered that she was pregnant. Taking deep, shallow breaths, Quinn wrapped her arms possessively around her stomach and held herself tightly. She was frightened. Of all the paths Quinn has chosen for herself, this was going to be the most difficult to tread. And of all the people she's ever needed in her life to support her through, she has pushed away thoughtlessly. Suddenly, she heard Puck shifting on the mattress and she turned her head only to meet his sleepy, careless gaze. In her heart, she knew this wasn't right. This was what she had gotten herself into the first place but Puck wasn't the type to step up as a responsible father. She knew this because she had originally come over to talk to him about the pregnancy but he ended up persuading her to have sex instead. It was unhealthy. It was dirty. It felt more wrong than it ever did than when she was with Rachel. But all in all, it was her fault in the first place for putting herself in this situation.

"Go back to sleep, Puck. I'll be right back, I just need to use the bathroom." She told him quietly, watching him nod in response before she began putting on some clothes to make herself look decent. She didn't look back once as she walked away from his bedroom, carefully walking down the stairs so she wouldn't wake his mother. Quinn felt tears stinging in her eyes as she felt desperation consume her; she wanted to get out of this house as soon as possible but the creaking of the floorboards forced her to walk slowly towards the front door. When she finally made it outside, she closed the door behind her and quickly ran over to her car, sobbing frantically to herself once she was inside. She felt utterly miserable as reality came crashing down upon her. She was pregnant with Puck's child. Rachel Berry was no longer apart of her life because of the way she treated her. Her parents were going to disown her once they find out about all of the lies she's ever told them, the secret relationship she had with Rachel and the baby that she was going to give birth to. Worst of all, Puck was already beginning to pull away and she would definitely have no support system whatsoever.

As Quinn clutched the cross that hung heavily across her neck, she suddenly yanked it off with as much force as she could possibly muster and threw it out the window. That cross meant nothing to her now, not after all the lies she made herself believe when she wore it. She still believed in her God, of course, but this wasn't about faith anymore. This was Quinn trying to reclaim the life she once had, to regain control over everything she ever had before the pregnancy, and she was going to start fixing this mess by going to the person she needed most more than anything; Rachel. Even after all she's put her through, she was sure the girl still had lingering feelings for her and wouldn't say no to her. During the course of their relationship, Rachel had never said no to Quinn Fabray. With that last thought boosting up her self-confidence, Quinn drove away from Puck's neighborhood and decided to crash with Mercedes for the night. She had a lot of planning to do if she was going to go through with this, with the support of her friends and Rachel of course.

As for Puck, well, the boy couldn't help but lie perfectly still in his bed as he heard the screeching tires of Quinn's Honda Civic speeding away from his home. He couldn't really take _her _situation seriously anymore. What did she expect from him anyway? He was a dude. He had needs and he wasn't about to tie himself down with a freaking pregnant chick. It was gross and it certainly wouldn't do well for his reputation. Puck was young and hot. Well, so was Quinn which was exactly why he pursued her in the first place but it was her fault that she had gotten pregnant. Having a bun in the oven was a deal breaker for him. Hey, at least he was being honest. Sure, it was his kid but he had the right to choose whether or not he'd be there for Quinn to support her through with the pregnancy. Puck simply didn't want to bear the responsibility of having a child in high school. Look where it took his mother. Nowhere. He knew better to pretend to be somebody he wasn't and he certainly didn't want to pretend to be a good father when he never had one in the first place. So Quinn could deal with most of it on her own. He had his pool cleaning business and since he knew how her parents were, he'd be happy to pay most of her doctor's bills for the time being.

But that's all he wanted to do for the girl. If she wanted to give it up to him too(before she gets all fat and nasty), then he'd be okay with that. At least he would be getting something from Quinn Fabray. Speaking of Cheerios, his mind couldn't help but wander off to Santana Lopez. He hasn't sexted her in awhile and he was actually starting to miss the mind blowing sex they had together. She certainly wasn't pregnant, and she had a smoking hot body that was still quite useable. Fuck. Why did he have to get himself involved with Quinn anyway? Santana was a hottie and was actually smart when it came to safe sex so what the hell? He was going to go after her once he was able to. There was absolutely no way she would reject him considering their history together.

* * *

"Santana, please don't let go of my hand! I'm absolutely terrified of heights! I can't believe I agreed to do this with you, you always choose the most dangerous activities to participate in." The shrill, panicky voice of Rachel Berry's voice rang through Santana's ears deliciously as she laughed at the aforementioned girl with amusement evident in her tone. It was just another normal Saturday afternoon and the Hispanic cheerleader thought it would be a brilliant idea to take the girl to the Lima Family Fun Center to hang out. Apparently, climbing the rock wall wasn't the best second choice attraction after go-kart racing but hey, Santana Lopez enjoyed doing things that defied Rachel's normally boring interests and the diva would just have to put up with it. Besides, there was a freaking safety harness attached to her and Santana was surprisingly patient when it came to climbing up the wall at an aggravatingly slow pace in order to make sure nothing happened to the shorter brunette. "Berry, we're barely ten feet above the ground. At least loosen the stick that's lodged up so far up your ass so you can enjoy this. It's fun, come on, I'm helping you with this aren't I?"

At Santana's mean comment, Rachel huffed in annoyance and attempted to kick Santana in the shin but the Latina smirked and dodged the unwarranted attack. Instead of angering the girl further, she reached out for one of Rachel's small, non-mannish hands and placed it above their heads before she forced the smaller girl to grip the protruding object on the wall. Santana couldn't help but shudder at the feel of Rachel's silky smooth skin underneath her palm and immediately pulled away from the other girl so she wouldn't think she was being weird or anything. Rachel had felt electricity the moment their hands connected but didn't comment on it since it would intensify this already unusually awkward situation. Santana Lopez willingly hanging out with Rachel Berry? It was just bizarre but Rachel was enjoying this tentative friendship both girls have struck with each other recently. Santana felt the same way but there was no way she'd ever admit that out loud to anyone.

After both girls finally managed to reach the top of the rock wall, they both came down as quickly as possible due to Rachel almost throwing up in her own mouth when she looked down from the top. Santana was smiling crookedly as she wrapped a strong arm around Rachel's shoulders though the smaller girl was rather grumpy and was desperately trying to push away from the taller girl. "Hey, you have no right to be mad at me, Rach. It's not my fault you're a chicken shit!" Santana roared with laughter as Rachel continued to struggle her way out of Santana's grip but the Cheerio wrapped both of her arms around the shorter girl's head and the diva couldn't fight her way out of the sudden headlock. "Santana Lopez, you asshole. I demand that you release me this instant!" Rachel muttered, the muffled sounds against Santana's chest tickling the hell out of the Latina. Santana condescendingly patted the brunette on the top of her head and continued to giggle at the sight of Rachel's face buried against her.

"Oh Berry, your fathers would be so disappointed in you for saying such terrible things about a wonderful person such as myself. We should wash that dirty mouth of yours with soap!" The Hispanic girl continued to tease the girl mercilessly, unknowingly fueling Rachel's mock-rage. Without warning, Rachel peered up at Santana with a wide doe-eyed expression on her face, in which it caused Santana's breath to momentarily pause but she didn't have enough time to appreciate Rachel's beauty. Instead, she was met with Rachel's evil grin before the girl stomped on her feet in retaliation. "Oh fuck, that hurt!" Santana cried out with pain, watching the other brunette before her pry herself out of her grip and back away with a smug expression on her face. "You were asking for it Lopez. Please don't tell me you can't handle a taste of your own medicine." After briefly trying to soothe her foot, she raised an eyebrow at Rachel's statement and took it as a challenge. There was no way Rachel was going to get away with that. Upon seeing the small smile on Santana's face, Rachel winked at her before she took off in the opposite direction, getting lost in the throngs of people waiting in several different lines for every attraction that was available.

Santana immediately chased after the girl, trying to memorize where exactly she had seen those hideously cute knee high socks appear before luck actually caught up with her. Rachel had tripped over someone's foot, unfortunately, and was barely beginning to stand up on her own when the Latina quickly rushed over to her. Feeling a familiar presence behind her, Rachel shrieked and attempted to run off again until she felt Santana tightly grasp her arm before she was flung over to the nearest wall. Santana didn't realize how hard she had thrown the other girl until her back hit the wall but what didn't come out as a hiss of pain came out as a breathy moan instead. The Cheerio's eyes widened considerably at the sound so when she tried to avert her gaze from Rachel, she failed miserably when the other girl's eyes finally opened to stare right back at her with such great intensity, it almost made her feel uncomfortable. That's the one thing that always intimidated Santana about Rachel Berry; it was the way the girl always looked at you. Her soulful brown eyes sparkling with an inexplicable amount of joy and pride, it's also what Santana always subconsciously found attractive. And here they were now, their legs almost intertwining with each other as Santana continued to push herself towards the small, vulnerable girl.

Rachel's pupils were dilated, the dark circles enlarging due to misguided arousal and it only drew Santana closer to the diva. Their faces were now inches apart and Rachel was only suffering from minor discomfort since she had no idea how to react in this kind of situation. Santana was eyeing her curiously but that didn't mean she could lean right into the smaller brunette, as if it weren't creating some kind of untouchable tension Rachel couldn't even begin to describe. She had to break this spell somehow, whatever it was, it needed to stop now. "S-Santana, I think it would be a brilliant idea if we can take a break now since I'm absolutely famished and I can assure you that I get really _cranky_ if I am unable to nourish myself right away." Rachel warned, attempting to sound playful but she ended up sounding desperate in order to quickly create some space between them. At Rachel's statement, Santana casually retreated from Rachel's personal space and stayed silent for a moment, as if she were trying to remember why they were that unnecessarily close to begin with. Instead of dwelling on those…interesting thoughts, the Latina decided to play along with Rachel's ignorance and accepted the diva's request. "Yeah, you're not the only one who turns into a real bitch when they're hungry. Come on, there's an old fashioned diner in here that I've been dying to try out so here's to hoping that the food isn't mediocre garbage." With that being said, Rachel sighed in relief when Santana placed some distance between them but the diva unknowingly contradicted herself when she clasped onto the Hispanic girl's hand with her own and pulled her close to her side.

When they reached the diner, they both fell in love with the retro theme it had provided and the jukebox was playing classic music that both girls seemed to adore. After they had ordered their meals, Santana began contemplating on whether or not this would be the best time to have a serious discussion with Rachel about her absence in Glee. It wasn't as if Rachel was continuously skipping Glee, the girl was always physically present during every meeting but she was no longer stepping up and volunteering herself for every best possible solo that was available to her. Even Finn didn't want to take the male solos anymore if he wasn't going to have his usual partner backing him up.

Nobody dared to question Quinn Fabray's position anyway, even if she was pregnant. She was their new lead and no matter how uncommitted Puck was, he was second in command. Santana and Brittany despised what New Directions has become without Rachel Berry's passion. It was dull, lifeless, and only she could provide a certain spark within everybody to make the Glee club what it once was before Quinn took over. Everybody fought tooth and nail for Rachel's solos and they weren't afraid to stand up to her. Meanwhile, Rachel was always secretly thrilled with every challenge that came her way because there was an underlying passion that thrived within each of the members because of this. Now, there was nothing but fear as each member of New Directions refused to stand up to their new leaders who were still more than capable of making their lives more miserable than they already were.

As Rachel dutifully bobbed her head along to the current music that was playing - **The Ramones**_; Baby I Love You_, Santana once again reached for Rachel's hand and placed her own on top of it. Rachel raised an eyebrow at the intimate gesture and was about to question her until she noticed Santana's concerned facial expression. Never before had she realized how Santana was always willing to expose her vulnerable side to Rachel without any hesitation; it was beautiful. "Rachel, I'm going to be blunt and I want you to be honest with me. Why don't you participate in Glee anymore? It fucking sucks without you there putting us together. We're a mess right now and you know it." The Latina felt Rachel tense up but tightened her grip considerably on the smaller girl's hand. She knew it was an uncomfortable question to ask but if Santana didn't step up, then there was no chance in hell that she would ever make the diva whole again. Rachel needed this right now and if Santana had to push a lot of buttons, then so be it. She promised Rachel that she would always be there for her, no matter what.

Rachel should have seen this coming but she honestly didn't know how to answer this question properly without her heart squeezing painfully from within her chest. She didn't want to irritate Santana with her insecurities but she supposed honesty was always the best option. Besides, she needed to get this off her chest if she ever wanted the chance to be happy again. Rachel was so sick of being emotionally manipulated by somebody who threw her away as if she was nothing and Santana was here trying to pick up the pieces of her former self. She owed the Latina for being able to put up with her so she took a deep breath, willing herself to relax before opening up. It wasn't going to take long before she found herself tearing up but Santana was always conveniently near her to catch every tear that wanted to spill. "Santana, please believe me when I say this... No matter how badly I want to be able to reclaim my spot in Glee club, I actually don't know how I would be able to. There is so much that I want to express but I can't because every time I look at _her_, I feel like I'm suffocating, Santana. Quinn's cruel indifference mocks me and I can feel the tension rising between the both of us every time I enter the choir room. She's my biggest obstacle right now but I blame myself for not being able to be strong enough to overpower her…" Rachel paused right there as she spoke, uncertain on how to finish that sentence without making a fool of herself. She couldn't believe that she had given Quinn so much power to hold over her, it was pathetic but Rachel had been so emotionally invested in the relationship, she couldn't help but succumb to the consequences that followed heartbreak and humiliation.

Santana was clearly thinking the same thing as her brows furrowed with anger but she didn't dare say a thing because Rachel wasn't finished. She understood the message that the smaller girl was trying to convey with words but she needed to hear the other girl say that particular thing before anything else happened. "Santana, I want to cleanse myself of Quinn Fabray. I want to be able to overcome everything she's ever put me through and I want to show her that she has no more power over me. I want to regain my independence." Rachel whispered confidently, pleasantly surprising herself when she felt nothing but relief after saying what's been on her mind for awhile now. There were no tears in her eyes. Instead, she felt her heart fluttering at the sight of Santana proudly smiling at her for being so open and honest about her feelings. Santana squeezed her hand reassuringly and grinned at the diva. "You know B and I will always support you. I don't give a shit if I say that a lot, you need to hear it. Now come give me a hug you adorable little midget. I know you need one right now." The Latina teased, testing the waters before she realized she didn't have to be careful with Rachel anymore. The diva huffed but smiled at her anyways. She stood up from across the table but began backing away from Santana again. "Hmm, it seems like _you're_ the one that wants to touch _me_ but I guess I don't blame you. Also, for that unnecessary mean comment referring to my height -which is perfectly normal I'll have you know- you owe me a stuffed animal, not a hug. Preferably a fluffy unicorn that sparkles."

Santana scoffed and laughed at Rachel, getting up from where she was sitting comfortably and walked over to the small, defiant girl before her. Together, they linked arms and walked out of the restaurant peacefully but not without a little bickering first.

"A sparkling unicorn, Berry? God, could you be anymore gay?"

"You're just jealous because it's not _you_ who I'll be sleeping with at night."

Santana had shut up then, not knowing how Rachel could best her at her own game when it came to talking shit. She ignores the warm feelings that consume her when she thinks she's finally met her match. She knows that they still have a lot to talk about but for now, Santana just wanted to enjoy Rachel's company. It may have been an excruciating process but she was finally making progress. All she wanted to do now was to make Rachel happy again, that's all that ever mattered to her in the first place.

* * *

After a very fun and exhausting weekend hanging out with both Santana and Brittany individually, Rachel Barbara Berry strode into the hallways of William McKinley High School the following Monday with her head held up high. She wore the most optimistic smile anyone has ever seen come from her in well over a month and it seemed like the Glee diva was ready to finally move on from the ridiculous amount of drama that has taken place in her life. She felt absolutely refreshed when she woke up this morning, it was almost as if she had been born again. Yeah, Rachel felt that good about herself and she felt like nothing could ruin the good mood she was in. As she ambled towards her locker, quietly humming to the tune of '_Break My Stride', _she was well unaware that someone had been watching her from afar with a lecherous grin on her face. Soon, that person began to walk cautiously over to the brunette with nothing but innocent intentions.

"_Ain't nothing gonna break my stride, nobody's gonna slow me down. Oh no, I've got to keep on moving_…", Rachel sang quietly to herself, opening up her locker to gather everything she needed for her first hour class. All was going well until she felt an icy cold familiar presence lingering nearby and it was strange because she hasn't felt this close to _her _in what seemed like forever ago. Chills immediately ran down her spine, fear temporarily overwhelming her happiness before she finally turned to see who was the one stalking her. She had been hoping that it was just Jacob Ben Israel; at least he would have been easy to scare off or at least tune out. No such luck existed for Rachel as she met the intense gaze of one Quinn Fabray who was still in uniform despite her condition. Briefly, she wonders how Sue Sylvester will react to her pregnancy but then again, why should Rachel care in the first place? Instead of saying 'Good morning, Quinn' like she used to once upon a time, Rachel shuts her eyes and patiently awaits the barrage of insults that were supposed to come her way before her face was met with either a cherry, grape, or blueberry flavored slushy. None of that came, however, so when she gathers the courage to open her eyes again, Quinn is staring at her with a small pout on her face.

"Hi, Rachel…it's been awhile." Quinn starts off awkwardly, shifting her feet uncomfortably as her fingers toyed with the hem of her Cheerios skirt. Rachel was in absolute disbelief. Quinn Fabray was actually being civil to her for the day? This was probably just another cruel elaborate prank that was set up over the weekend. After all, hurting Rachel Berry's feelings was just another popular sport to play amongst all the popular kids who attended this wretched high school. When the brunette doesn't immediately respond, Quinn's anxiety begins to take over but she came to the other girl with an achievable purpose in mind. She was going to apologize but after thinking of all the horrible things she's ever done to Rachel, she knows this isn't going to be easy. God, why did she get herself into this mess in the first place anyway? "I-I know that I'm your least favorite person in the world right now, but I want you to hear me out. To be honest, I don't even know where to begin but I want you to know that I'm sorry." Quinn said sheepishly, hoping to at least charm the girl with her embarrassed frown as she said this.

Rachel did a double-take, shaking her head from side to side as she attempted to process the information that was just thrown at her_. 'What is wrong with Quinn? Has she lost her damn mind?' _"What exactly are you apologizing for, Quinn Fabray? For ruining my life? For breaking my heart and shattering my self-esteem in front of an audience? For taking everything in my life that mattered to me and manipulating me into believing that we had something special?" Rachel spat out, attempting to look over Quinn to see if there were jocks hiding behind her holding slushies in their hands. She wasn't going to fall for the head cheerleader's prank, not after the first time she was misled to believe that Dave Karofsky wanted to befriend her freshman year. God, that was such a humiliating experience and granted, Quinn didn't laugh like all the others did when photos of her lying in the dumpster surfaced on the internet. But Quinn still did pretty awful things to her before they became friends. The friendship clearly evolved into something else afterward and even then, the relationship was based on lust, lies, and possessiveness.

'_Why did I even agree to even pursue a relationship with her in the first place? She was ashamed of herself but worst of all, she was ashamed of our love and had to hide behind her reputation to keep us a secret. That's not love…' _Rachel felt nothing but disappointment as she remembered their unstable relationship. Quinn flinched at what the smaller girl had said to her. She definitely deserved that but why did it have to hurt so damn much when she heard it? "Rachel, I-I don't even know what to say to that. I know you're probably suspicious of me trying to talk to you now after all this time, but I was afraid! You have no idea how much pressure I was under and look at me now! I can't hide this baby bump forever, please, Rachel. You know how scared I was and still am. I couldn't accept myself for who I was and I acted like a coward. I'm so sorry, you just have to trust me, Rach." Quinn told her with tears clearly forming in her eyes. This was not going all that well like she thought it would. If Quinn still loved her, then she was absolutely positive that Rachel loved her just as much. Quinn wouldn't have it any other way. Not after all they've been through together.

Rachel couldn't believe how quickly her happiness transformed into anger and that upset the diva more than anything at this moment. She could feel her mind throbbing with pain and she just knew she was going to suffer from a migraine thanks to this unfortunate encounter with Quinn. Why couldn't the blond just let her be? Hasn't she done enough damage? "Quinn, I'm sure you understand why I'd have a difficult time trusting you when you obviously don't deserve it. While I completely accepted the fact that you were scared of what your parents would have done had they discovered our relationship, I didn't believe you were the type of person to live their life based on what other people thought of them. You also hid behind your religion to falsely supply hatred towards homosexuality. What on earth makes you think I want to hear any more of your lies?"

Quinn remained silent, trying to control the rage that was beginning to flow inside of her. She knew of her hypocrisy and of her past mistakes but Rachel didn't have the right to bring it all up again. It made the guilt so much worse. "Quinn, I too believe in a God but I personally will not stand behind a deity that encourages people to advertise how much God hate '_fags_'. My fathers had a difficult time raising me when I was a child due to people harassing them every day until those people realized that they weren't going to force my family into hiding. I firmly believe that love is the most beautiful emotion a human being is capable of feeling and if it means I am able to love someone else of the same gender, then so be it. I will not deny it like you did with me. That hurt me more than all of those stupid, immature pranks you pulled on me when we were younger." Rachel had to take a deep, calming breath as she said these things to Quinn, hoping that her words would have some kind of impact on the girl. The smaller girl wiped her own tears that had already fallen but moved along anyway. She needed her to understand, but apparently, the blond became too impatient and offered an invalid argument.

"But Rachel, you and your dads are like really strong. You can handle the abuse better than I ever could and after seeing you go through it all, I was terrified. I know I made a mistake sleeping with Puck but it only made me feel like a whore. The only person that I love is you, you're the one that I want. You can't say no to me, you're the only person who will ever make me safe. I promise I won't hurt you anymore!" Quinn cried out, a hand reaching out to stroke the brunette's cheek possessively. Rachel didn't move her hand as the blond girl cupped it, those stormy hazel eyes desperately trying to reconnect with her chocolate brown orbs. Rachel felt herself about to break down, and a small part of her wanted to give in to Quinn, but she knew better than that. It would become a vicious cycle should she allow herself to believe everything Quinn was telling her.

"Quinn, I do not want to doubt your feelings for me, but there's just no possible way that it would ever work. Not after everything you put me through because of your fears and insecurities. I may be a good enough person to forgive you, but I'm not stupid enough to trust you again. I'm sorry Quinn, we're better off as nothing for now. Besides, after my experience with you, you've pushed me into the arms of a much better person." Rachel had not meant for the last part to slip out but it had already been said and now she could only expect Quinn's reaction to be negative due to her problem with possessiveness. She was right. Quinn's face was flushed red with anger at the mention of Rachel seeing somebody else so her natural reaction was to fist Rachel's collared unicorn sweater and pulled her closely so that they were literally nose to nose. "Oh yeah, like who? I haven't seen you around with anyone special. Don't lie to me, Berry, you've never said '_no_' to me before, I'm Quinn Fabray." The blond Cheerio whispered roughly, baring her teeth as she leaned into Rachel's ear. The implications in that statement made Rachel blush furiously but she refused to lose against Quinn.

"You're Quinn Fabray_, the pregnant girl_, you're nobody special either. I hate to say this Quinn but nobody in high school respects a pregnant teenage mother. While I completely sympathize with the current predicament you're in, we both know that Puck was a poor choice. But you're not going to be alone, you have the Glee club to support you and yes that includes me, but only because it is my duty as the captain to care for my fellow members. Also, my significant other is of no business to you. You made your choice. I have to go now, Quinn, I will scream if I am late to my first period class." Sometimes Quinn hated herself for pushing the wrong buttons but she deserved every hurtful word Rachel said to her. She wasn't going to let her go, though, not ever again and not when she needed her the most. The still worked up blond reached for Rachel again and forcefully turned the other girl around before saying, "I'm not going to give up on you. I've never stopped loving you." Rachel could see a bit of regret in the taller girl's eyes but Rachel wasn't going to get swept up in an unhealthy relationship again. It would be too much to bear.

Little did either of the girls know, their heated exchange hadn't gone unnoticed. In fact, lurking in the shadows of the hallways stood Santana Lopez, staring menacingly at Quinn Fabray from afar. The Hispanic cheerleader could feel her blood boiling underneath her skin as unadulterated fury consumed her well being. Irrational anger. Jealousy. Hatred. Three of the strongest emotions one could feel entwining with the fiercest cheerleader in school. It was going to get ugly and Santana needed to get the hell out of here before she found herself doing something stupid to Quinn, like murder or something along those lines. Santana felt disgusted at the sight of Quinn cupping Rachel's cheek like she didn't fucking do anything to hurt the girl, like she deserved to touch her. No, what hurt the most was the fact that Rachel didn't seem to push the other girl away when she did such a thing. It wasn't fair. Santana was the one helping Rachel become who she once was again and their progress just went down the drain thanks to Quinn freaking Fabray, who seems to be an expert at destroying other people's lives.

Santana felt her heart pounding against her chest at an alarming rate. She couldn't breathe. She was far too enraged to calm herself down and she felt sorry for the unlucky bastard who got in her way. Unfortunately for her, she found Noah Puckerman standing by her locker with what he considered to be a sexy, confident smirk which only managed to piss Santana off even more. She did not need this right now, and God help her if she can't restrain herself from doing something extremely violent towards that idiot. She quickly went over to her locker, clearly ignoring the asshole standing to her but that didn't seem to bother Puck. "Hey, Lopez. Damn, you're looking fine today. Mmm, you look pretty pissed off, you want to go to my car and vent out your frustrations on my cock? It misses you…" He murmured seductively, which only infuriated the Hispanic cheerleader even more. Dirty talk. The guy made it sound sleazy and not sexy. She felt embarrassed for him because he was about to be rejected hardcore.

"Why would I want to do anything with you, Puck? I'm warning you right now: leave me the fuck alone before I do something to make you cry like a bitch." She hissed through gritted teeth, sending him a death glare that would have scared off any other normal person. Puck was stupid, though, so it didn't affect him. It only served to encourage him even further to hit on her some more. If this sexist prick didn't get out of her way soon, she was going to cut someone. "I know you don't mean that, Santana. You want me like every other hot girl in the school does. Stop trying to pretend that you're prude and agree to fuck me already, it's going to happen anyway." He told her mockingly, pressing himself against her ass after he offended her. Oh that did it. Any self-respecting female knew when enough was enough and being the prideful woman that she was, Santana reacted. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gripped way too tightly, her fingernails digging into his skin before she swiftly kicked him as hard as she could between his legs. Noah cried out in pain, clutching his balls as he fell down on his knees in front of the Latina. Everybody who was nearby stopped doing what they were doing and watched the scene unfolding before them. That included Sue Sylvester and Brittany.

Santana didn't stop there. She grabbed one of his ears and pulled it harshly towards her lips. "Listen to me you insensitive piece of shit! First and foremost, I am a woman and you need to treat me with some goddamn respect, you hear me? I'm not a fucking object you can take advantage of. Just because you have a dick between your legs, no matter how small, it doesn't mean that I am inferior to you in any way. You'll be working for me one day, asshole, don't you forget it!" With that being said, Santana pushed Puck to the ground until he fell flat on his back, still holding onto his damaged jewels. The Latina could hear the females cheering and applauding her for her actions but Santana didn't care. She simply growled and it sent people flying out of her way. She needed to splash cold water on her face. Santana needed to relax because she felt like she was drowning. She wanted to find Rachel again.

Brittany noticed how angry Santana seemed so she decided to follow her but not without doing something to Puck first. She simply grabbed coach Sylvester's protein shake, uncapped the lid and handed it to her before she walked over to the pathetic boy squirming on the ground. He was still groaning but when he looked up at Brittany, he shook his head as if he were trying to plead with her. Instead of showing him mercy, she dumped the milky substance all over his face before she too kicked him once again between the legs. "People like you shouldn't be allowed to make babies. At least not again." She told him, handing back the empty cup to Sue, who wasn't actually mad at Brittany for doing what she did. Instead, the older woman loomed over Puck and shook her head disapprovingly. "Sexist pig. You got what you deserved. Now clean yourself up. The stench of failure is making me nauseous."

When Brittany finally caught up with Santana in one of the restrooms, she found the Latina leaning her forehead against one of the mirrors as she cried in frustration. It was very rare for Brittany to see her best friend this sad so she knew this was something serious and it obviously involved Rachel. Brittany just walked over to Santana and wrapped her arms around the girl and instantly, the Latina turned around and just started sobbing into the blond cheerleader's shoulder. The taller girl just soothed Santana by whispering words of reassurances and by rubbing her hand back and forth on the brunette's back. When Santana finally managed to calm down a bit, she was a bit embarrassed by her actions and stepped away from Brittany though she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of. "B, why the hell am I so confused? There's something I need to tell you and I need your input. Will you listen?" Santana quietly asked, feeling out of place for being so openly vulnerable after physically assaulting Puck. Brittany just nodded her head and listened patiently as Santana told her what had happened over the weekend when she took Rachel out to have some fun before she explained what she had seen in the hallway earlier involving Quinn.

"…and I was literally possessed by a demon or something because I don't remember ever being that angry over something so insignificant. Do you get what I'm saying, Britt?" The Latina asked, hoping she didn't confuse her friend too much because it seemed like Brittany was in deep thought, trying to analyze everything Santana said to her. The Cheerio sighed impatiently as she tried to think of an easier way to explain her feelings to Brittany but before she could, her blond companion simply smiled at her as she spoke. "I can't believe you haven't realized it yet, S, but you're in love with Rachel. It's cute. You were jealous because you saw Quinn touching Rachel in a way she isn't allowed to anymore. I mean, look how you're behaving. Your emotions are like all out of whack and you still don't get it." Santana was absolutely stunned at the revelation. Her friend simply shrugged as if were the most logical explanation in the world and the Latina wanted to protest but honestly, what could she say to refute Brittany's argument? Brittany rolled her eyes at the dumb incredulous look on Santana's face and decided to simplify things for her poor friend.

"S, oh my God, how blind are you? You've been like head over heels for Rachel since like the eighth grade. I bet you're wondering how I know. Okay well remember the time Kyle Peterman, the weird neo-Nazi in our biology class, drew a swastika on Rachel's locker after he wrote '_Hitler had the right idea trying to get rid of you freaks' _under it?" Brittany asked, watching Santana's entire body tense up at the reminder of what that awful boy had done to Rachel in the past. The Latina nodded tersely, making a note to find Kyle and relentlessly torment him until he cries. "Well, we found her crying in the girl's restroom and you didn't even have to ask who did it to her. You found him and hoisted him up the flag pole but not before you broke his nose first. Then you came back and bought Rachel ice cream and one of those fake roses to cheer her up. I remember it well because it was Valentine's day. Who knew you were so romantic, Santana?" Brittany finished with a little teasing in her voice. Santana took it in stride though, surprised that Brittany could remember such an unimportant event from their past. She thought it was unimportant because protecting Rachel Berry had always felt natural to her. Wait…there was no way she could ever feel that strongly about someone…could there?

Santana immediately paled as her heart began fluttering at the idea of being able to love someone like Rachel Berry. In a way, it kind of made sense to her but at the same time, it also confused her more than anything. How could Brittany notice such a dramatic thing when she didn't even remember how to pronounce her own last name? "Brittany…how did this happen? What do even I do? What is Rachel going to think? Oh my God! It's not possible, B, it just can't be…" Santana couldn't even form a coherent sentence as she felt panic begin to settle within her. Maybe she's felt these feelings for the other girl for a very long time now but really, how could they have been buried for so long without her acknowledging these feelings first? Brittany walked over to Santana and placed two strong hands on her shoulders, attempting to divert her attention away from her uncontrollable thoughts. "Get a hold of yourself! Honestly, if I didn't feel bad for you, I would probably laugh at you right now but this is serious. You love her, there's no denying it. She likes you too, you know. You're Santana fucking Lopez! Are you just going to sit here and cry your eyes out and let Preggers steal Rachel away again or you going to go out there and get your woman?" Brittany's question seemed to snap Santana out of her trance. She growled at the thought of Quinn going anywhere near Rachel.

Santana took three deep breaths and straightened up, looking directly into Brittany's fierce icy blue eyes. She may not exactly know what she's doing, considering she's going to pursue someone she has actual feelings for, but damn it, she was going to at least try. Rachel was worth it. "You're right, B. Rachel's mine and I'm going to get her. I don't know how long I've felt…this way about her but I'm glad I'm not in this alone. Thank you…" Santana whispered awkwardly, her brow furrowing at the thought of actually thanking someone. It was just another foreign experience that she would just have to get used to. Brittany, on the other hand, clapped wildly and bounced up and down excitedly. "Yay! So how are you going to ask her out, Santana?" Oh crap. Brittany once again rolled her eyes at Santana and took her hand before leading her outside of the restroom. "Oh Lopez, where would you be without me? Oh hey, that rhymed!" For the first time that morning, Santana blushed and smiled as she followed her best friend to their first hour class. She was certainly nervous about what was to come but she knew that something had to be done about her…feelings for Rachel.

**Author's Note 3: **_If you are reading this right now, I want to thank you for your patience and willingness to read this. It was lengthy and my readers deserve some kind of reward or something. Lol Anyway, if you have any suggestions on how Santana should ask Rachel out or what their first date should be like, please feel free to comment/message me. _


	4. Disarm You With a Smile Part A

**Title: **Pieces (3a/3)

**Chapter Three(A): **Disarm You With a Smile

**Rating: **R(For language and violence)

**Pairing(s): **Rachel Berry/Santana Lopez

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee.

**Summary: **Based on a prompt from the PezBerry community. Basically, Quinn refuses to believe that she's gay and sleeps with Puck, getting pregnant in the process. Rachel's heart is broken to pieces and retreats within herself, quitting Glee; Santana comes along, however, and picks up the broken pieces to make her whole again, falling in love with each other along the way. Things quickly become complicated when Quinn begins to pursue Rachel again & Puck chases after Santana. (Paraphrased Summary) **Author's Note: **I'm actually really sad that this series is coming to an end. I've decided that I might extend it to one more chapter for some…fun time between our favorite ladies. ;) I'm not entirely sure but for some reason, I just want to keep writing about these two _forever._ This was frustrating to write but I fought tooth & nail to get this done the way I wanted to. I hope you all enjoy.

**Author's Note 2: **This chapter is entirely dedicated to **avadacantare**(I hope this doesn't make me sound corny or creepy), who was the one who came up with this fantastic prompt. I also advise everyone to read the lyrics in this chapter because it defines Rachel's feelings so perfectly well. Also, this had to be split into two parts. I'm just a horrible person that loves to tease. Just kidding! I'm actually not ready to end this series just yet. D:

Santana was absolutely exhausted. It was way too early in the morning for any normal human being to be awake at the ungodly hour of six thirty in the morning. She honestly doesn't understand how other people could do it but she supposed it had something to do with the fact that people would sacrifice anything just to make a living. Waking up on a Thursday morning just to arrive early for Cheerios practice so wasn't worth losing sleep over anymore. Not only was she forcefully subjecting herself to further torment by a very pregnant Quinn Fabray, she was now the Cheerios' favorite target to taunt on a daily basis ever since they found out about her public friendship with Rachel Berry. What was the big deal anyway? Rachel was a human being, she deserved friendship and maybe something more if the other girl welcomed it but seriously, these immature high school girls were pissing her off. The typical high school hierarchy shouldn't be allowed to exist anywhere. All it does is bring nothing but pain and humiliation. For Santana, it brought a lot of pain because she had to witness the onslaught of attacks her little gold star had to face on a daily basis from afar.

All of that shit was going to hopefully end soon. Once Quinn loses her position as the Head Cheerleader(it was inevitable, there was no way Sue would ever want a pregnant cheerleader on her squad), Santana will take over as the head bitch in charge. There was no doubt about Santana being able to change things around but until that happens, she had to lie on her back and take everything that was being thrown at her now. It was disgusting but it wasn't as if Santana couldn't defend herself. Oh no. This morning, she woke up feeling extremely prepared for whatever the day threatened to bring her. She was going to put each fucking Cheerio in her place, Quinn excluded since she brought that down upon herself, and if any of them dared to question her authority, then she would just have to make an example out of them. No one messes with Santana Lopez, especially when she is feeling uncharacteristically anxious and excited. Today, she had a purpose in mind and she was determined to make it throughout the day without incident and God help the unlucky son of bitch who got in her way.

The Cheerios were in the locker room, showering and cleaning up after a brutal practice, when Santana finally showed up alongside of Brittany who forewarned her that the girls may give her a bit of trouble today. The Hispanic cheerleader yawned and shrugged it off; if they even shot her a dirty look, they would be met with Santana's foot up their asses. Just as Santana expected, some of the freshman cheerleaders straightened up from where they were sitting and looked the other way. At least the younger ones were readily submissive and more fearful. As for the older ones, they would prove to be a challenge but it would be nothing too difficult for Santana and Brittany to handle. When Santana sleepily approached her locker, she noticed Quinn shyly entering one of the bathroom stalls in order to change. The Latina sighed. That girl wasn't going to be able to hide that baby bump forever. The girl relied way too much on her power and reputation to get through difficult situations but look where that got her. It was enough for Santana to bark out in mock laughter at Quinn, when the blond finally stepped out in a baby doll dress. The other Cheerios appeared astonished that someone would dare insult their fierce captain but they didn't know of Quinn's condition…yet.

As for Quinn, she merely rolled her eyes in response before shooting the other Cheerios a death glare and that seemed to send some of them off so they could give Quinn and Santana some privacy. Great. Now Santana had to deal with Quinn and one of her annoying little pep talks. She just really wanted to get out of here so she could see Rachel again. The blond cheerio ignored the clearly irritated expression on the Latina's face as she casually walked up to her. Brittany received Quinn's glare but she definitely wasn't vacating herself from the locker room just because Preggers told her to. Instead, she backed away from Santana but perched herself on the nearest bench just in case either of them decided to do something stupid to one another. "I need to talk to you, Santana. It's important that you listen carefully." Quinn said through gritted teeth, frustration evident in her tone. The Hispanic cheerleader raised an eyebrow curiously, though in reality, she was feigning interest. She slammed her locker door shut before leaning against it to face her companion. "Since I'm such a convenient target for everyone else these days, you might as well run your mouth since there wasn't anybody else you could possibly go to about your problems." Santana replied sarcastically.

Quinn scowled but continued anyway, knowing that she would get nowhere fast if she demanded respect from her teammate. She shyly placed a few stray strands of blond hair behind her ear before she sighed heavily, uncertain on how to begin. Santana, on the other hand, was increasingly becoming impatient because all of this was simply getting in the way of her reuniting with Rachel. She had a goal in mind and she wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away from her grasp. "Santana, I know you and Rachel have become like really good friends and everything but there's something I need to know that I think only you'll be able to tell me…", Quinn said quietly, trying to calm herself down before she lost her temper at the thoughts that were running through her mind. Santana's ears perked up when she heard the other girl mention Rachel's name and right away, the Latina knew this was going to be an unpleasant conversation. Santana lightly pushed herself away from the locker and crossed her arms defensively, glaring at Quinn for having the nerve to speak of her girl as if she had forgotten everything she's done to hurt Rachel. "Okay, but if I am uncomfortable with anything that you say about Berry, I will hurt you, Q. Don't doubt that for a second." She replied with venom lacing her voice and Quinn could only nod at the warning, as if that threat didn't mean anything at all to her.

"I'm not going to lie and say I don't miss her because I do. A lot. The other day, I tried apologizing to her, and you know how bad I am at that, especially with her considering all that I've done but…I just know she still has feelings for me. I think she was trying to cover it all up when she said she was seeing somebody but now, I'm actually worried. Who the fuck is she dating, S? I need to know!" Quinn whispered worriedly, concern etching her normally flawless features. Santana's heart plummeted to the ground. At first, she had been extremely irritated with what Quinn had been saying about Rachel until she mentioned the fact that Rachel was taken. Out of the entire rant, the only thing the Latina caught was that Rachel was unavailable. She was seeing somebody else and she didn't even bother telling Santana about it. Boiling blood immediately rushed over to her face as anger consumed her entire well being and Brittany, who had heard the entire conversation, could see what was happening to Santana. _'Oh dear God, Santana is an idiot if she thinks Rachel is actually seeing someone!' _Brittany frantically thought as she stood up from where she had been uncomfortably sitting. It was too late. Santana didn't bother rationalizing why Rachel would say that to Quinn in the first place and allowed herself to be misguided by false accusations.

"No, I would have absolutely no idea, Quinn, since Rachel hasn't bothered mentioning this to me. It's really none of your fucking business anyway since you're the one who threw her away like a piece of garbage. Now if you excuse me, I have somewhere better to be!" Santana yelled a little too loudly, raising Quinn's suspicions but she didn't have time to continue questioning the Hispanic cheerleader as she stormed out of the locker room with a desperately concerned Brittany following closely behind. All Santana could see was red. She wasn't afraid to admit that she was jealous because really, who would push aside Santana freaking Lopez in the first place? Santana was the one putting Rachel back together, not some mysterious douche bag. They were the ones hanging out together most of the time anyway so how was Rachel secretly dating someone behind her back? When did the shorter brunette have time to see someone else anyway when she spent all of her free time with Santana and Brittany? Well, she figures it was about damned time to find out. "Honestly, Santana, do you believe that Rachel is seeing anyone right now? You're only going to embarrass yourself in front of her if you confront her about something she isn't guilty of."

Brittany's voice temporarily broke her out of her reverie and she abruptly stopped power walking in order to turn around to face her best friend. Brittany seemed annoyed with her but Santana couldn't figure out _why_. Out of anger, Santana shoved Brittany back a few steps but her blond companion only responded back with a light shove of her own. "You don't know anything, B! I need to hear this from _her _and you're going to stand aside and let me do things on my own. I know what I'm doing!" Santana screeched, earning the attention of the student body. Brittany thought it was almost comical when her friend had said that because all Brittany wanted to do was just point and laugh at the absurdity of the situation. No one knew better than Brittany and well…if Santana wanted to learn things the hard way, then so be it. At that last thought, Brittany shook her head and made sure to cover her face as she grinned wickedly at the idea of Santana trying to handle delicate situations on her own. It was Santana's own fault if she humiliated herself in front of Rachel but either way, this confrontation was actually going to bring the two together. Brittany genuinely smiled at that before she looked up at Santana, raising her arms in defeat. After all, Santana insisted that things must be done her way.

Santana sighed and rolled her eyes before turning on her heel, leaving a giggling Brittany far behind her as she continued her search for Rachel Berry. When she turned a corner, at the end of the very same hallway, she found Rachel casually leaning against her own locker as she was engaged in a seemingly important conversation with Tina. The Latina narrowed her eyes dangerously and straightened up before she strode over to where the two girls were talking. When Tina noticed a flash of red, black, and white, she knew it meant trouble for her and attempted to warn Rachel but she was too busy stuttering to get the message out. Rachel noticed the panicky expression on her friend's face and carefully turned around only to be met with the sight of an inexplicably angry Santana Lopez. The Latina glared at Tina with such a great intensity, Tina felt the heat radiating off of the other girl in tidal waves and that was enough for her to start slowly backing away. Santana took advantage of this and forcefully wedged herself between the two girls, but now her attention was focused on Rachel instead. "I-I'll see you later, R-Rachel. Good luck!" She shouted, now running off in the other direction. Rachel furrowed her brows and looked up at Santana with disappointment crossing her features. "If I may please inquire why you so rudely interrupted our conversation in a manner that could only rival a Neanderthal's method, I would greatly appreciate an explanation, Santana."

Santana wasn't paying attention, however, as her eyes were glued to Rachel's distracting appearance. The shorter brunette looked positively radiant and stunning in that shapely black dress that accentuated her curves, legs, and most importantly, her cleavage. Her hair was absolutely impeccable and it all seemed like it was too much for the Hispanic cheerleader to take in. Rachel was definitely _unavailable_. Why else would Rachel doll herself up? Upon noticing the crestfallen expression on Santana's face, Rachel gasped and immediately placed a hand on the taller brunette's shoulder worriedly. "What's wrong, Santana? You know you can tell me anything." That seemed to snap Santana out of whatever spell she was under and she couldn't help but sound a little insecure as she replied with, "Why didn't you tell me you were seeing someone, Rach?" The Latina hated the fact that she sounded so whiny and pathetic but really, after fighting so hard to get with someone she wanted, she couldn't resist. Rachel's eyes actually widened at the tone of Santana's voice but also, she was surprised that Santana would dare think that she'd be interested in anyone else other than…her. Where was she getting this from anyway?

"Santana, I can honestly tell you I don't know what you're talking about…" Rachel paused as she spoke, realizing quickly that what she had been wearing must have given the taller brunette the wrong impression. Before she could cryptically explain why she chose this particular outfit thanks to Kurt Hummel(she didn't want to ruin the surprise she had waiting for Santana in the Glee choir room), Santana pushed her hand away and looked at Rachel with misplaced hurt in her dark eyes. Rachel's heart melted at the sight and for once, she couldn't believe that she was going to be the one to comfort Santana. "Don't lie to me, Berry, Quinn told me what you said to her. You're seeing someone and you didn't bother telling me about it, what the hell is wrong with you?" Santana spat out, not meaning to sound so insulting but she so desperately wanted to know why Rachel couldn't see it fit to tell her best friend anything. The diva, however, ended up looking offended but only because she thought it was ridiculous that the Hispanic cheerleader would actually believe the misinterpreted information Quinn had given her. Oh, and this meant Quinn had confronted Santana about her feelings so she wasn't done with Quinn just yet either. Fantastic. Rachel huffed in annoyance and reached out to cup Santana's face with both of her hands comfortingly, her thumbs caressing her cheeks soothingly.

The students who surrounded the hallway couldn't help but watch the intimate interaction taking place between Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry of all people. It was utterly bizarre yet so fascinating at the same time. Rachel clearly didn't want to ruin the surprise she had waiting for Santana but she was open with her feelings and she didn't think she could contain them anymore, not after all they've been through. "Santana Lopez, you listen to me carefully, okay? The only reason I ever said that to Quinn was because I was thinking of _you _when I let it slip! I may have unsurprisingly developed some romantic feelings for you-" Rachel had shut herself up then, covering her mouth with her hand unexpectedly. Santana, on the other hand, felt her spirits uplift considerably at the revelation. She stared wide-eyed at the smaller girl standing before her, suddenly transforming from the confident diva that she was to a bashful girl with a crush. Rachel was furiously blushing at this point, not knowing what to say after revealing her honest feelings for Santana so instead of looking up at her to meet her gaze, she looked towards the floor and scuffed her feet against the ground. Inwardly, Santana was grinning victoriously and her heart was celebrating by pounding rhythmically against her chest as hard as it could. She was finally happy and it definitely felt good to know that whatever it was they had together, it was no longer one-sided. Maybe it never was like that in the first place.

"Rachel…", Santana began, only to be interrupted by Rachel gently placing her finger on the taller girl's lips. She needed this moment to be perfect and if they were going to do this right, Rachel was going to do it the way she had intended in the first place. _'If the attraction is mutual'_… Rachel's thoughts ceased momentarily when Santana smirked at her and wrapped her hand around Rachel's wrist before pressing the finger that was placed against her lips more firmly before placing a sensual kiss on the tip of that very same finger. Rachel's knees buckled at the sight and she almost collapsed but Santana was quick and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's waist and pressed her own body flush against Rachel's so that the other girl knew that she would be kept safe. The taller brunette had mischievous glint in her eye as a wicked smile began to form on her face and Rachel just knew she was done for. "How long, Berry?" She asked, using one of her hands to rub up and down the small area of Rachel's lower back. Rachel was quickly becoming flustered since she certainly wasn't used to such blatant flirting in front of a curious audience. As much as she would love to continue this, the both of them really needed to get to class on time and she wanted to save this conversation for the surprise she had waiting for Santana.

Politely, Rachel pulled away from Santana and the longing in the other girl's eyes almost convinced Rachel to relent but she couldn't. "Um, if I promise to explain everything to you during Glee, will you please be patient with me until then? I know we have a lot to talk about but it needs to wait because I planned something incredibly special for you. Although it was only intended to be thank-you gift, I didn't expect for my feelings to grow for you so strongly…", Rachel was once again cut off by Santana, who was still beaming brilliantly at her. Santana sighed dreamily and simply caressed Rachel's cheek softly, ignoring the various reactions coming from the onlookers in the hallway. She could tell that Rachel was uncomfortable but it was only because the girl refused to be tardy to any of her classes and she still wasn't used to public displays of affection. Santana was going to make sure that changed soon. "For you, I promise to wait. It better be worth it Berry, because I have something I need to ask you. Now come on, I'll walk you to class." Santana told her, grabbing a hold of one of Rachel's hands as she patiently waited for the smaller girl to gather her things. Rachel was bouncing with an immeasurable amount of joyous energy, and now, she was definitely looking forward to how Santana was going to react to her wonderful surprise.

Brittany had been watching the two the entire time and was actually impressed that Santana didn't make too much of a fool of herself. As the two walked hand in hand together, the sea of students parting to make room for McKinley's future power couple, Brittany smiled. Rachel and Santana were finally going to get together after years of Untidy Sexual Timing. Not the other crap Santana defined UST as. _'What was it again? Oh yeah, unresolved sexual tension.' _That still sounded completely ridiculous to Brittany. Oh well. To each his or her own. The blond Cheerio merrily skipped down the hallway, humming quietly to herself until she suddenly ran into Azimio. She hadn't seen him since the…incident and she'd been wondering what had happened to the boy. When he caught her glaring at him, he hesitated for a moment before he turned the other way, walking away from the girl as fast as he could. She smiled at the sight of the arm sling and cast he was wearing. After all he'd done to her friends, Rachel and Becky especially, he truly deserved every blow Brittany had delivered that day. Feeling completely satisfied, Brittany continued humming as she made her way to her first period class. It was a good day indeed.

* * *

When Glee club rolled around, every single member of New Directions with the exception of Rachel were patiently awaiting Mr. Schuester's arrival. Santana was practically hyperventilating at this point and only Brittany could keep her nerves under control. The Latina was ecstatic, not only because she was certain that the shorter brunette returned the same romantic feelings towards her, but mainly because this was the perfect opportunity to ask Rachel out. She also kept wondering about what Rachel had in store for her and knowing the other girl better than anyone else did, it was probably a grand gesture that will undoubtedly result in Santana becoming an overly emotional blabbering mess. Santana didn't care. As her heart began fluttering uncontrollably once again within her chest at the thoughts relating to Rachel and her surprise, the sound of the choir room door opening caught everyone's undivided attention. Mr. Schue had walked into the room with a sincere smile on his face but that's not what everyone had been paying close attention to. Rachel had been walking alongside him with an adorning smile of her own and it only added to the intensity of her beauty. Kurt and Mercedes had wolf-whistled at the smaller girl before turning their attention to one another, giving each other high fives as though they had accomplished something. Puck remained surprisingly quiet but that was because Santana had shot him a look that told him to keep his inappropriate comments to himself. Finn was just gaping at his partner with an appreciate gaze but Santana was pretty sure he was coming in his pants since she noticed a few twitches here and there. The Latina smirked at everyone else's reactions to Rachel's makeover but when her eyes fell upon Quinn, she immediately frowned and clenched her fists at the sight of her rival's reaction.

Quinn's normally bright Hazel eyes were darkened with obvious arousal, a small pink tongue darting out to wet her lips. The girl was clearly staring at Rachel as though she were a three-course meal and goddamn it, no one was allowed to look at Santana's girl like that. Just as Santana had begun growling at Quinn, Rachel had cleared her throat as she stood before everyone with a confident smile on her face. For the time being, Santana willed herself to relax though she was not appreciating the lustful gaze on Quinn's face as the girl's eyes remained locked with Rachel's legs. "Hey guys! I know we all an important lesson to return to today but Rachel has something special she'd like to share with us first. Take it away, Rach!" Mr. Schue said enthusiastically, handing over the spotlight to the small diva and Santana couldn't help but release a dreamy sigh at the girl she harbored strong feelings for. Brittany noticed this and grinned, nudging her friend playfully. "Keep it in your pants, Lopez." At that, the Latina chuckled but quieted herself down as she noticed Rachel patiently waiting for the side conversations to end.

"Hello, everyone! It is so good to be standing here before you with an irrevocable smile on my face. As I'm sure a few of you may or may have not noticed, I haven't been myself lately and I failed as your captain to keep New Directions together. Well, I have no one to blame but myself for allowing myself to succumb to negative emotions that temporarily changed me as a person because it affected my work habits. Well, you all no longer have to worry about that anymore. Here I am again as Rachel Berry, and I've returned full force with the intention of winning us Sectionals this year." Rachel stated, taking a deep breath after she said this. It was obvious to Santana that she was anxious as hell and it really, really excited the Hispanic cheerleader to see what Rachel was going to offer her in front of the entire glee club. When Rachel turned her head to look directly into her eyes, Santana swore that she felt her heart swell at the sight of the diva's smile growing wider when their gazes met. That was _her_ smile, the only smile that was reserved for Santana Lopez. Rachel kept their eyes locked as she played with her hair for a moment before she gathered to strength to speak again, though if only to Santana and not the rest of the Glee club.

"I wouldn't have recovered quickly enough without the assistance of my really good friend, however, whom I greatly admire for sticking with me through one of the most difficult times I've ever had to endure. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be up here today auditioning in front of you all to reclaim my position in New Directions. I dedicate this number to her because she's the most important person in my life and I truly believe she deserves this. This is a gift to you, and I hope you can accept the feelings that I have for you. Thank you so much for everything." Rachel finished with a proud smile on her face, signaling for the band members to get in their positions and as for Santana? Well, she was squeezing onto Brittany's hand tightly because if she didn't have anything in her reach to hold onto, she was sure she would have already given in to the tears that were threatening to spill. So when Rachel was in position, a haunting melody began playing in the background and immediately, Santana had been disarmed by the sound of Rachel's voice.

_I'm here again…_

_A thousand miles away from you_

_A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am_

_I tried so hard_

_Thought I could do this on my own_

_I've lost so much along the way._

Brittany sniffed once, before laying her head against Santana's shoulders as Rachel sang beautifully to the Glee club, more specifically Santana. The Latina felt the dam within her beginning to shatter under the sheer force that was Rachel Berry and she could literally feel their feelings for each other intertwining in the air like electricity. She swallowed hard and continued to listen to the heartfelt message Rachel was trying to convey through song.

_Then I'll see your face_

_I know I'm finally yours_

_I find everything I thought I lost before_

_You call my name_

_I come to you in pieces_

_So you can make me whole_

Rachel was on the verge of tears but she promised herself that she needed to execute this perfectly, she wouldn't have it any other way. She felt her whole body buzzing with the same amount of energy she had felt earlier and it only gave her more confidence. Her eyes remained locked with Santana's, trying to gauge the other girl's reaction to this gift she was openly giving her. Even though the other members of the glee club were giving Rachel and Santana odd looks at various points throughout the song, she knew their curiosity meant well. Kurt had actually mouthed off to Mercedes, "I knew it!" Though Brittany had tears trickling down her face, she was grinning at Rachel and nodded her approval. It only increased Rachel's elation and she belted out the next lyrics passionately as she always did with each song she'd sung.

_I've come undone_

_But you make sense of who I am_

_Like puzzle pieces in your eye_

_Then I'll see your face_

_I know I'm finally yours_

_I find everything I thought I lost before_

_You call my name_

_I come to you in pieces_

_So you can make me whole!_

Quinn Fabray had been quietly sitting in the corner, her eyes darting back and fourth between Rachel and Santana. She was fuming at this point. An ember glowing inside of her and the jealousy, the wave of possessiveness, and anger she felt at that moment only fueled the fire from within. There was so much hatred directed towards Santana right now and she didn't know what to do about it. Rachel was serenading the other girl in front of her like it didn't hurt Quinn's feelings at all. Quinn felt herself foaming at the mouth, wanting nothing more than to reclaim Rachel as her own in front of everybody but her desire to physically assault Santana was far more overwhelming. She should be the one in Santana's position instead. It should be _Quinn_ on the receiving end of all the love Rachel had to give but Quinn had that once and she lost it out of stupidity. No. Quinn wasn't going to give up that easily. She's not going to give up on Rachel without a fight and she intended to win.

When Rachel began crooning out the last few words to the song, she felt a heated blush tinting her cheeks though it was not of out of embarrassment. It was pure, hedonistic bliss that she thought at one point she'd never experience again. The brunette looked bashful again at this point as she tried to meet Santana's eyes again and the girl in question was struck absolutely speechless. The sound of applause seemed to drown out any coherent thought Santana may have had at but she didn't care. Santana needed to take advantage of this moment right now before any other ridiculous obstacle got in their way. When she stood up, her first step may have been hesitant but she continued walking towards the other girl with a fierce look in her eyes. Rachel beamed at what was coming her way and met Santana halfway, allowing herself to be embraced in the most intimate hug anyone had ever given her. The Latina lifted the smaller girl up in the air effortlessly and spun them around with a crooked smile on her face. "That was so beautiful, Rach. What did I ever do to deserve a girl like you?" She asked, burying her face against Rachel's neck. She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's waist possessively and pulled her closer to her body, which only made Rachel giggle. "I should be asking myself that very same question. Here I am feeling like I'm not good enough for anybody yet here _you _are holding me, making me feel like I'm special." She replied, slightly pulling back in order to attempt to look Santana in the eyes though she failed miserably. Rachel kept staring at Santana's lips and the taller brunette seemed to have been thinking the same thing as Rachel.

It was the perfect opportunity to seal their love with their first kiss. Just as Santana had begun to descend her lips in order to claim Rachel's mouth with her own, closing her eyes in the process, Rachel stood up on the tips of her toes to provide much of her own effort to prove her feelings. Rachel felt her eyes slipping shut but then the sound of somebody angrily kicking their chair aside warned the girls that their moment was about to be interrupted. Quinn Fabray had never looked so angry before in her life and Rachel was terrified. "Santana, watch out!" Rachel's shriek immediately alarmed Santana but she didn't have time to react as she felt a strong hand fist around her ponytail before it yanked her hair away painfully hard. The Hispanic cheerleader had been caught off guard and therefore, groaned in pain before she looked up to meet the face of her mysterious attacker. Quinn didn't give her a chance to blink as the infuriated girl growled at her and threw a hard punch straight onto Santana's right eye. The tall brunette stumbled backwards, gasping at the sensation but the moment her back hit the nearest wall, she felt Quinn throwing herself at her while clawing, scratching and kicking the unguarded girl. Santana successfully kept her right eye shut since the immense amount of pain still stung pretty badly but she had to focus on blocking off Quinn. She fisted her own hand in Quinn's blond locks and pulled before she used her other hand to push away from the violent girl.

Santana honestly didn't want to hurt her because Quinn was pregnant and even though she was tempted to knee her in the stomach, she would feel absolutely guilty. Instead, she focused on slapping the hell out of Quinn and it managed to slow her down, but only momentarily. Quinn rubbed her cheek from where she had been smacked by Santana and lunged at her again until she felt small hands roughly grabbing at her arms and pulling her back. "Quinn, you reserve no right to harm Santana! You're not yourself, please calm down!" Rachel's shaky voice forced the taller blond to turn around and she almost relaxed for a second until she remembered that Rachel was defending _Santana_, not her. Quinn released herself from Rachel's vice grip but gripped onto the straps of her black dress and pushed her all the way back until they hit the piano. The singer groaned in pain but tried fighting off Quinn who was actually trying to attack her lips with teeth and tongue. The sight of Quinn forcing herself on Rachel was enough to distract Santana from soothing her own wounds in order to pull the pregnant girl away from the object of her affections. Brittany had gotten to her first, pulling and holding Quinn back by putting her in a fierce headlock. "Don't make me hurt you!" Brittany whispered angrily, Quinn still attempting to free herself but to no avail.

She had been possessed by her own emotions, turning into a wild territorial animal in the process. She could feel the anger fading away, mostly because the sight of a frightened Rachel softened her expression. The smaller girl held a hand close to her chest, as if it were trying to calm her wildly beating heart. Rachel should have known better. Quinn had always had a problem when it came to maintaining her jealousy issues and Rachel figured after watching that performance, something snapped within Quinn. She didn't mean for any of this to happen, she just wanted to express herself…Santana clutched the side of her head because it was now throbbing with pain but that didn't matter to her. She made her way over to Rachel and the smaller girl wrapped her arms around the taller brunette and they sighed against one another. Quinn felt her heart clench painfully at the sight and that alone angered her even more but Brittany wasn't going to loosen her grip anytime soon. "What the hell is going on? Quinn, in your condition, I'd expect better from you. Santana, are you okay?" Mr. Schuester had finally snapped out of his trance and made his way towards the girls, stepping in between Santana and Quinn. The rest of the glee club members were in shock, just staring dumbly at the two girls who were this close to ripping each other's throats out moments ago. No, Santana was not okay. She was caught off guard and had been attacked by a coward during what was supposed to be the most important moment of her life. She, however, remained calm and collected as she tried to process what had just taken place. Rachel was cooing in her ear, trying to soothe the scratches and bruises Quinn left on her. "I'm fine, Mr. Schue." She replied hastily, setting a firm thin line with her lips and Rachel could tell she was truly, unbelievably angry.

"I don't know what got into either of you but I'll have you know, this incident has to be reported. You girls aren't going anywhere until you explain why this happened to me." He warned them, trying to placate Santana by placing a gentle hand on her shoulder but she harshly shrugged him off. She was going to retort back but Rachel stepped in for her. "Mr. Schue, I can assure you that this was an isolated incident. I will not allow you to write any of us up for something that can easily be solved through our own means. For now, I am taking Santana home because someone needs to tend to her injuries. They may be serious. Now if you excuse us, we'll be on our way. You can deal with Quinn however you want." The emotionally frustrated diva said, gripping onto Santana's hand before leading her to the choir room door. She glanced over to Brittany and called her over, the blond Cheerio handing Quinn over to a very confused Puck in a not-so-gentle manner. Mr. Schuester angrily called out after them but the three girls clearly ignored him as they stormed out of the choir room and eventually, out of the school. Santana looked like she was going to have a breakdown and despite Rachel blaming herself for everything, she was determined to take care of Santana after everything she has done.

* * *

"Stop crying, Rachel, it's not your fault. Don't be sorry for publicly declaring your feelings for Santana. At least you aren't ashamed of what you feel." Santana could hear voices coming from Rachel's bathroom just straight across from the diva's bedroom and she wasn't sure whether to be terrified or thrilled that Brittany was able to make sense of everything. She was laying on Rachel's comfortable bed holding an unbearably cold ice pack directly on the right side of her face. Santana didn't want to worry her parents by coming home with bruises so they all agreed that they would spend the night at Rachel's for the time being. She sighed, wondering how the day ended up becoming like this? Santana was exhausted and all she wanted to do now was sleep but at the same time, she was forcing herself to stay conscious. She felt horribly guilty for the events that transpired today but it already happened and she no longer wanted to dwell on the past. Her plans may have been ruined but that wasn't going to stop her from feeling the way she does about Rachel. Speaking of which, the girl had finally come out of the restroom with Brittany in tow and she looked miserable.

The singer was dressed casually now, sporting slightly loose black sweat pants and a tight fitting black camisole and this look appealed to Santana far more than it should have. She cleared her throat and sat up straight against the headboard, beckoning Rachel to join her on the bed. Instantly, the shorter girl jumped onto the bed, crawling over to Santana to sit on her lap while reaching out to cup the hand that was holding the ice pack. The shorter brunette kisses the top of Santana's forehead and sighed, with a hint of sadness that was clearly evident to the other girls that were in the room. "I'm sorry this happened to you. You didn't deserve it. I'm not worth the trouble, Santana. I don't know what you could possibly see in me…" Rachel began, loosening her grip on Santana but the other girl held her closely. She couldn't believe what Rachel was saying about herself, it was almost enough to grate on her nerves but she was tired and she was going to be gentle as she can about this. The Hispanic girl cupped the singer's chin and carefully tilted her head so she could look into her eyes as she said this. "What happened today wasn't your fault. Shit happens. That's not going to stop me from wanting you though. You're worth everything to me, Berry. Why don't you get that?" Rachel furiously blushed and slightly pulled away to analyze the serious expression on Santana's face. It was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to her but still, she pressed on since she desperately wanted to hear more of Santana's feelings. It was nice to be the one on the receiving end for once. Actually, as surreal as the experience was, having such an emotional conversation with somebody she cared about was refreshing.

"You could do better than me." Rachel insisted with a sly smile on her face, thus daring Santana to push forward. It was actually working.

Without hesitation, Santana replied. "No, I couldn't. Rachel, you're the one for me and I want you to be with me. Only if you'll have me, that is" It was Santana's turn to smirk as Rachel was stunned into silence. The singer could stare openly at the other girl before her and suddenly, the desire to respond with a kiss overwhelmed her and so she did. Rachel grasped onto the collar of Santana's blouse and pulled her in for the most searing, passionate kiss neither girl experienced before. The Hispanic cheerleader's eyes fluttered for a moment before they finally settled on staying closed, and she seemed to relax as she sighed into the kiss. Rachel surprised her with her strength, her tongue peaking out through the seam of her lips to lick across Santana's full bottom lip and the said girl couldn't help but release a small moan at the feel. The bold singer took this as a sign to deepen the kiss and so she did, her tongue slipping into Santana's mouth and both girls simultaneously groaned. Santana dropped the ice pack that was in her hand and allowed her hand to freely explore Rachel's body over her clothes. She used her free hand to lightly tug on Rachel's ponytail, which elicited an interesting reaction.

Rachel pulled away from the kiss to gasp, exposing her throat and perfectly sculpted collarbone and Santana knew that she just had to take control. She growled as she pushed the smaller girl onto her back, stretching her body along until she was perfectly comfortable hovering above Rachel. She roughly grabbed the diva's thighs and forced them open so she could lay in between her legs and the singer fought back by wrapping her legs around Santana's waist like a spider and pulled Santana down for a heated kiss. The Cheerio thoroughly explored the other girl's mouth and enjoyed the teasing feel of Rachel's tongue sliding against the roof of her own mouth. Kissing Rachel felt like heaven to her and even though she didn't mean for this to get as far as it did, at least she knew the other girl clearly reciprocated her feelings. The singer's fingernails dug slightly painfully into her skin but Santana liked it rough and she let Rachel know she appreciated her actions by thrusting her hips forward against the smaller girl's pelvis. Rachel unexpectedly broke away from the harsh kiss and moaned quite loudly, which only encouraged both girls to pause momentarily after they heard a familiar voice in the room.

"Yeah, Santana, make her hit that high F!"

Oh crap, they had forgotten about Brittany. Both of the embarrassed yet still aroused girls turned their heads to find Brittany fiddling with Rachel's camcorder and apparently, she was filming them. Mortified, Rachel squealed and rolled out from underneath Santana's body and leapt up in order to convince her friend to stop recording such a personal scene. Brittany was only laughing even harder, lifting the camcorder above her head and enjoyed the sight of Rachel bouncing up and down to reach her equipment. "You guys forgot I was in the room again but it's okay. You two were making out and it was hot. Now keep doing it." The taller Cheerio teased, eventually giving in to the shorter girl's request to '_give it to me, give it to me now, Brittany!_' Rachel had the decency to blush and began replaying what Brittany allegedly recorded them doing just a few minutes ago. "Sorry, B, we got caught up in the moment. That was pretty hot though." Santana replied sheepishly, playing with a few loose strands of her own wild hair. Rachel could only smile shyly back at the other girl but when she turned to face Brittany, she pouted.

"I apologize for excluding you, Brittany. I'm actually quite embarrassed with myself…" Rachel was going to start ranting and the simple Cheerio shushed her by pulling her into a spontaneous hug while murmuring, "It's okay, I sometimes forget how to leave a room anyway." Rachel relaxed into the hug as she laughed wholeheartedly against the taller girl's chest. In the meantime, Brittany was mouthing off to Santana and gave her a look that reminded Santana of what she had been wanting to do all freaking day. She wasn't sure how Rachel was going to respond but clearly, they had chemistry and…well, fuck it. She had nothing to fear. They just made out so the answer should be what Santana expects. She stood up from where she had been laying and walked over to Rachel, turning the other girl around as soon as Brittany released her.

She gazed adoringly into the smaller girl's sparkling dark brown eyes and smiled. "Rachel Berry, will you do me the honor of going out with me? It's not even a question if I will treat you right because you know I will. I will do whatever it takes to make you happy and I don't care if other people know about us because it's none of their business. I just want people to know that you make me happy and that I deeply care about you. What do you say?"

Rachel could see the anxiety dancing behind Santana's normally confident eyes but she didn't have to worry, not when she already knew the answer anyway. The singer grinned and nodded her head violently before jumping on top of Santana, wrapping her legs around the girl as Santana caught her. "YES! Yes! Yes!" She screamed, laughing along with Santana as Rachel placed light and gentle kisses all over Santana's face. Brittany bounced up and down as she celebrated with two of her best friends. She enveloped them all in powerful bear hug and kissed the both of them out of respect for their newfound relationship. Santana sighed, trying not to wince when somebody's shoulder rubbed uncomfortably against the right side of her face. Her heart was swollen with happiness and pride, she honestly couldn't think of a better way to end a day that had started out pretty badly. Rachel Berry was hers and she didn't plan on ever letting her go.

**Author's Note 3: **The final installment to this series shall be posted next week. T_T For now, I am still taking ideas as to what the first date will be like for both of our ladies. I'm playing around with everyone's ideas so I do hope you've all enjoyed with what's happened so far. Thank you for everything!


	5. All You Wanted

**Title: **_Pieces (3b/3) _

**Chapter Three (B): **All You Wanted

**Rating: **** PG-13[T]**_(For language, fluff and sexuality)_

**Pairing(s): **_Rachel Berry/Santana Lopez, Quinn/Puck_

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Glee._

**Summary: **_Based on a prompt from the PezBerry community. Basically, Quinn refuses to believe that she's gay and sleeps with Puck, getting pregnant in the process. Rachel's heart is broken to pieces and retreats within herself, quitting Glee; Santana comes along, however, and picks up the broken pieces to make her whole again, falling in love with each other along the way. Things quickly become complicated when Quinn begins to pursue Rachel again & Puck chases after Santana. (Paraphrased Summary)_

**Author's Note**: _…I sincerely apologize for the long awaited update. To make a long story short, our computer has been broken since November and the only access to the internet I had was through my phone and attempting to update Pieces on a crappy Windows Phone? It was frustrating so I patiently waited for this moment and now that I have a computer to use, I'll do my very best to update/create new stories for this fandom. Otherwise, I'll be tuning up my writing in the process._

**Author's Note 2: **_I stopped watching Glee. I honestly have NO idea what's been going on since the Rocky Horror Glee episode and from what I attempt to watch is upsetting. I just can't…no. Season 2 will not exist in the universes I create for Glee, aside from new characters and maybe using some of the storylines that were very interesting. All I know is that I miss writing for this fandom and I'm going to ignore shipping wars even though it's all over my tumblr lol. Anyway…here is the chapter you've all been waiting for. Seriously, a huge thank you goes to the readers who continued to stick with me. This update was purposely written in a different light/mood than the previous ones though what happened in the past isn't neglected. _

"_All you wanted was somebody who cares.  
If you need me, you know I'll be there_…" **Michelle Branch**

As soon as the clock struck '6:00' A.M. on one seemingly ordinary Saturday morning, _Iris_ by The Goo Goo Dolls began playing on Rachel Berry's iPod dock and a warm body underneath a comfortable layer of pink and white floral sheets stirred on the bed next to the nightstand. However, that warm body did not belong to one Rachel Barbra Berry. "You forgot to shut that damn thing off last night, Rach. What's wrong with you?" A familiar raspy voice whispered playfully. The brunette in question smirked as the lingering effects of sleep began to wear off but she wasn't making any move to sit upright as the body practically lying on top of her made it difficult to do so. Not that she wanted to in the first place anyway so she could procrastinate for a little while longer. Rachel sighed happily as she attempted to shift to her side but Santana grunted and scooted her body closer towards her _girlfriend_, keeping her in place because this felt too good to let go. It was almost surreal, the events leading up to this small, peaceful moment in their lives but neither regarded this as something negative to dwell upon later. Santana was satisfied despite all that had happened in order for her to obtain the object of her affections but all that was in the past now. Rachel was _whole_ again, no longer the shadow of a broken hearted person who refused to move on and she was happy because of the effort Santana had put in order for this to work. At that thought, Santana sleepily opened her eyes and found herself staring at the most adorable sight she's ever seen before(not that she used adorable to describe things often, but because this was Rachel she was dealing with, she could get away with it).

The diva was trying extremely hard to politely extricate herself from Santana's iron grip around her waist, her tongue peeking out through her luscious pink lips as she fully concentrated on achieving her goal. Being the mischievous and overall shameless attention whore that she was, Santana narrowed her eyes and decided to properly distract her girlfriend. Seriously, she wasn't going to just let her girl choose exercise over cuddling with her so you couldn't blame Santana for being slightly offended in the least although she was well aware of how Rachel Berry worked. Suddenly pushing herself off the mattress, she startled the smaller girl by twisting her body, grabbing onto her shoulders and quickly straddles her, making sure that there was no possible way for her to escape. In order to establish her dominance further, she used one arm to forcefully spread Rachel's legs open that way she could settle in between them while at the same time it encouraged the other girl to wrap herself around the taller girl's body. Santana's wicked grin caused Rachel to blush but she couldn't tear her gaze away from the predatory look in the cheerleader's eyes…it was incredibly enticing. "G-good morning, Santana! I wasn't expecting such enthusiasm this morning." The diva nervously chuckled as she said this, squirming underneath the beautiful Latina which only served to briefly arouse them both.

"Morning, beautiful. I needs me some lady lovin' and I thought I might as well go for the gold since you're already up." Santana says with a small smile on her lips before she leans down to peck Rachel on the lips. What was intended to be a G rated kiss turns out to become something more for the next ten seconds as the eager diva sucks onto Santana's lower lip, her tongue licking across the Latina's lips bashfully. Unwilling to back down from any opportunity that presented itself to her, Santana grips onto the bed sheets below her and proceeds to kiss her little gold star hard, as if the world was going to end tomorrow so she didn't want to take any chances. By now, Rachel is succumbing to a submissive state and rakes her nails up and down Santana's spine, though in her mind she is trying to tell herself to stop before they took things to a whole different level. When Santana finally pulls away for oxygen, Rachel giggles and says, "How romantic. The morning breath kind of takes away from it, don't cha think?" The Hispanic girl rolls her eyes and reluctantly pulls herself off of the singer, chuckling as she did so. As much as she wanted to stay in bed with the girl that she deeply cared about, they had set their first date to today and Santana had made some rather…unique and complex plans that needed to be executed perfectly. When she lazily got out of bed, casting a quick glance over to where Rachel was shyly slipping out from under the sheets, she felt her heart tug a little at the sight. She never wanted to forget that feeling now that Rachel was hers.

She had spent the night with the singer before but that was before anything romantic took place between them and it felt so different now but better. As she continued to watch Rachel move about in her explosively colorful room, she couldn't help but stare as the smaller girl took a minute to herself in order to stretch her arms above her head while she was on the tips of her toes. Santana snuck up to her girlfriend from behind, carefully suppressing her laughter, before wrapping her arms around the girl's chest to pinch Rachel's nipples. She wasn't wearing a bra and they were showing through the thin fabric of her camisole top so it was totally fair game, Santana reasoned. Squealing loudly and jumping about – oh say, ten feet in the air- Rachel turned around and began to swat Santana in the arm with a half-hearted scowl on her face. Laughing obnoxiously, the cheerleader pushed them towards the nearest wall, reaching for the smaller girl's wrists and pinned them above her head. Blushing furiously, Rachel bit her lip as she sought a silent connection between herself and Santana. The Latina, without any hesitation, brushed a stray strand of hair away from the singer's face and offered the other girl a small, crooked smile. "You're so beautiful." The electricity in the air intensified, the chemistry undeniable and Rachel was rendered speechless. Santana was taught to love with all her heart, to protect those closest to her, and to never be ashamed of who she was. Yeah, she thought she might have been a little cheesy at that moment but she didn't care. She wasn't afraid of expressing how she felt about her loved ones, especially Rachel, who appeared to be melting at her words. She meant everything she ever said to the other girl and she was going to take care of her. It didn't mean that she was going to go soft, however, she was still Santana Lopez so being in a loving relationship with her long time best friend? It wasn't going to change anything.

Rachel was mesmerized by the taller girl's words of appreciation but was unable to verbally respond. The huskiness of her voice paralyzed her, sending her chills as she briefly wondered how she was so lucky to have the Hispanic girl in her life. Leaning up to capture Santana's soft lips in a passionate kiss, the Latina stayed put until their lips made slight contact and teasingly pulled away from the other girl, who was obviously still dazzled by the romantic moment. "You better get in the shower, champ, we don't want to waste the day away fooling around. Also, you better get dat ass in some booty shorts and a tank top 'cause where we're going, we're gonna get hella dirty, babe." She told her with a broad smile on her face, enjoying the face Rachel made when she spoke 'ghetto' to her. "Oh my god, just because you're from Lima Heights Adjacent, it doesn't make you any more 'badass' when you speak to me in a way that offends the English language." Rachel lightly mocked, enjoying the taken aback expression on her girlfriend's face. Santana seriously studied her counterpart for a minute, hands on her hips before raising an eyebrow at the dramatic diva before her. "Girl, I knows I ain't gotta tell you again. Get your ass in the shower 'cause we gots places to be." Mildly annoyed by the manner in which Santana was speaking, Rachel sighed and reached for the clothes that she had set aside last night and merrily skipped over to her bathroom across the hallway. On the way out, however, Santana slapped her butt firmly when she got the chance and Rachel pretended to look scandalized.

"Oh, don't forget to make me a sandwich while you're in there or else it's a deal breaker." Santana joked with a smirk playing on her lips as she walked out into the hallway with the diva. Rachel was about to reply when all of a sudden, Santana nearly fell down the nearby stairs when she accidentally took a big step backwards until she caught herself on the railing. "_Ay, Dios mio_! Oh don't rush over to help me, Berry. I'm bent over backwards here, trying not to fall. I'm completely fine!" The cheerleader huffed out awkwardly as Rachel hit her head against the bathroom doorway laughing at her girlfriend's expense. Dating Santana Lopez…well, it was certainly entertaining. "I'd love to, _babe_, but I'm naked over here and you know how my dads feel about female nudity." The singer called out from the bathroom doorway, bouncing in surprise when Santana forcefully pushed herself away from the stairs and ran towards Rachel like a gazelle. Squeaking playfully, the singer quickly shut the bathroom door just as soon as Santana made it to the doorway. Groaning in disappointment, Santana lightly slammed her palm on the door, "Ugh, you tease!" She could hear Rachel's melodic laughter echoing in the bathroom as the girl jumped into the shower, leaving Santana to gather her bearings and thoughts now that she was almost completely awake. She was surprised that she had been able to keep her composure for so long as the excitement bubbling up within was beginning to overwhelm her. Today was going to mark significant progress for their relationship and Santana wanted to be certain that all was going to go as planned. She knew that despite being officially together for two weeks, she was satisfied to know where this relationship was already going. She knew she might be overdoing it today but knowing Rachel as well as she did, she was going to love the grand gesture she had set up for her.

Walking away from the bathroom door, Santana pulled out her phone and sent a text message to somebody who owed her a huge favor. She sighed, irritated that she still associated with this particular boy but he seemed to be walking on the path towards redemption when he accepted her request.

"**Puck u better be there by 8. U know I can't haul all that shit in my car w/o her finding out what I have planned**." Not even five minutes later, the boy responded back.

"**You know I'll be there. Look, I only agreed 2 this cuz you know how I feel about you kicking me in the nads. I do this solid for you, and we never bother each other again, cool?"**

Santana rolled her eyes. It was amazing how much his stupidity hurt. She owned everybody at McKinley High. No matter if they were enemies, teachers, or strangers, she could make them do whatever she wanted at her bidding but she didn't have time to argue with the Neanderthal.

"**Yeah ok, sure. Just haul the load over to where I told you on time and split. Then when we're done, u can clean up our mess.**" The Hispanic girl placed her phone in her bra and proceeded to head downstairs in order to use the guest restroom. Today was going to be beautiful and she didn't care if people saw her frolicking with Rachel throughout the day. She was still badass.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, after both girls had showered and gotten dressed, Rachel's fathers had just woken up and began preparing a healthy, vegan breakfast for their daughter and her companion. Santana strutted into the dining room adjacent to the kitchen, wearing a tight black and grey knit long sleeve knit top, black cargo shorts and matching black knee high socks to match her outfit. Her hair was held up in a loose ponytail, sunglasses hiding the twinkling mirth in her eyes as she walked over to greet Rachel's fathers. The eldest Berry, and quite possibly the most intimidating of Rachel's dads, Steven, looked up from whatever he had been occupied with and offered Santana a genuine smile. "Good morning, Ms. Lopez. I trust your evening was very well spent. How did you sleep last night?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee before focusing on his non-vegan friendly bacon strips and sausage links in the frying pan. Santana lecherously grinned at the older man and replied, "Oh, your daughter and I were way too occupied to bother sleeping last night, ya know what I'm saying?" Surprisingly, Owen Berry reacted first by snorting out his coffee as he chuckled at his husband's reaction. Steven set a firm straight line with his lips and shot the Latina a death glare. The feisty cheerleader, however, made obnoxious gestures with her hands, as if she were silently communicating, "Come at me." After a tense moment of silence, Steven finally broke out in a fit of laughter, shaking his head at his daughter's girlfriend. "I don't think I'll be able to get used to you just yet, Santana. I trust you though. I'm just really glad she has you in her life. I've never seen her so legitimately happy before. Thank you, for everything." He told her quietly, showing vulnerability she hadn't seen in Rachel's dad before. Santana dropped the act and walked over to embrace him in a hug but because he was so tall, it was slightly awkward but the gesture meant a lot to the both of them anyway. "She's special to me. Rachel doesn't even realize how good of a person she is to justify why I feel the way I do about her. I love her, that's all I have to say about it." Santana replied, blushing when Owen teasingly 'awwed' at the sentimental statement.

Before anything else could be said, Rachel made her appearance at the foot of the stairs, smiling sheepishly as she tried to adjust to her new look for the day. She had been sporting a pair of regular denim shorts, a loose black, pink and green Fox racing tank top and to complete the look Santana had been hoping she would achieve for today's activities, she wore matching black knee high's and SWISS hiking boots her dads bought for her when they went on a hiking trip not too long ago. Rachel's hair was swept back, a black and white polka dotted headband adding the Rachel Berry essence to her casual look. Owen had to a double take when taking in his daughter's appearance, Steven raising an eyebrow at his daughter's choice of apparel while Santana inwardly thanked Brittany for taking the girl on a shopping spree recently. "So…um are we ready to head out, San? I have a couple of surprises that I honestly can't wait to show you." Rachel says shyly, trying her absolute hardest to keep from blatantly staring at Santana. Owen Berry, the silent observer of the family, couldn't help but put his rare two cents in the conversation. "What kind of surprise, darling? It better not be what I'm sure you know what I'm assuming it is." He says sternly, taking off his glasses for a brief moment to wipe them clean. Rachel gasps, stomps her foot on the ground as she vehemently denies the accusation. "Daddy! What kind of girl do you think I am? No, okay, I guess I have to prove my innocence. Otherwise…they won't let us go out on our date. Here, Santana, I thought you would appreciate this. I've been saving up my allowance in order to present this to you when the time was right and I know your interests are rather…well, let's say dangerous and this could be a fun thing for you and whomever you wish to be bring with you."

Santana was mildly amused by the fact that Rachel usually didn't need oxygen when she spoke but she nearly lost it when Rachel huffed out that last word, trying to remain calm as she received a small neatly wrapped package fit for a necklace. Though she was tempted to comment on how she didn't necessarily have to do that for her, the needy part of Santana was more than willing to accept any kind of gift from her lover. She wanted to feel appreciated as well so this small gesture sent her heart soaring. "Oh, Rachel…you shouldn't have –wait, are these what I think they are?" The feisty Latina gasped after she had opened the small box, assuming that it was going to be a piece of jewelry but instead, they were two tickets to a certain show she'd been obsessed with seeing live since the first time she ever watched the action sports movie that came out for it quite a few years back; **Nitro Circus**. Almost immediately, Santana felt tears well up in her eyes as she began to hyperventilate excitedly, and Rachel knowing how fully well the other girl could exaggerate her emotions, pressed on. "I know that I've been selfish by taking your time away from doing what you love the most by being with me and committing yourself to Glee but please don't think I don't want you to pursue entertainment outside of Glee and myself. I remember you mentioning once or twice about participating in events of this nature and well…I thought you would like this." The singer said shyly as she took in Santana's unbelievable reaction. The girl was hysterically crying with joy, and Rachel was unsure whether or not she should attempt to comfort her or giggle at the sight. Just then, she felt two strong arms wrap around her as she was hoisted over the Latina's shoulders, Santana quickly spinning her around before stopping dead center in the living room.

Not intending to let her go anytime soon, Santana turned to face her girlfriend's parents, who were unable to react to the Latina's sudden outburst. "Sirs, I promise to return her in mint condition by five thirty this evening. Now if you excuse us, we gots to be somewhere. Bye!" She calls out to them giddily, running out the door with Rachel helplessly in tow. When the front door slammed shut as quickly as it had opened, Owen and Steven cast each other nervous glances.

"…is this really a good idea, hon?"

"Probably not."

* * *

Santana couldn't stop shaking with excitement though on the outside, she tried to perfect a cool, calm exterior but with Rachel sitting so close to her and singing the songs that were playing on the radio, it proved to be challenging. Not only were those tickets relevant to the activities that she had carefully planned integrating Rachel into, but now she confirmed Rachel would have no qualms about getting comfortable with Santana in her own element, something that was _dangerous._ As Santana pulled to the next stop, she took a moment to look over at Rachel, who looked so incredibly adorable as she concentrated fully on belting out the final lyrics to Lady Gaga's latest hit single. She looked so happy in that moment, those brown, bright eyes no longer dull but full of life these days and her heart swelled with an immeasurable amount of pride. Oh Santana knew what to expect in this relationship. They would have their ugly moments but because they not only bring out the best in one another, any obstacle they encountered they would be able to overcome it, despite their stubbornness and overinflated egos. Santana knew that they would set aside their own feelings in order to comfort the other but this time…this time the honor belonged to Santana. Caught unaware, Santana suddenly felt a pair of soft lips pressing against her own for a few seconds before they pulled away. The proud Hispanic girl blinked in confusion before she relaxed at the sound of Rachel's voice. "What are you thinking about_, Lopez_?"

"It's nothing, really. I just can't wait to spend the day with you." At that exact same moment, Cee Lo Green's popular, overplayed(and censored, mind you) hit blasted through Santana's speakers and the girls' eyes lit up noticeably. "I see you driving 'round town with the girl I love and I'm like 'Forget you!' I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough and I'm like, 'forget you!'" The lovers continued singing enthusiastically, Santana trying her best to distract Rachel long enough to get to their destination without raising any suspicion. And thus, began an epic romantic journey to where ever their hearts desired.

When the suburban scenery changed to a more beautiful, serene background with trees, curves and hills, Rachel finally began to wonder where Santana was taking her. She remained silent, however, in order to respect Santana's ideal romantic ventures and to be honest, she was looking forward to experiencing something entirely new. Although she hadn't been quite used to being romanced, even when she was with Quinn in private, she was becoming comfortable with the anticipation of what was to come. After another ten minutes of driving and engaging in senseless chatter, they finally seemed to be approaching their destination and Santana gripped the steering wheel with an abundance of anxiety and delight. It was amusing and so unbelievably cute to see so much emotion in such a feisty human being. "Okay, let me just find a decent parking space and it'll be about a five minute walk to a spot I specifically picked out and reserved just for us. Are you ready?" The Hispanic girl asked with a noticeable tremor in her voice and that alone melted Rachel Berry's heart. "With you, I've just about learned to expect the unexpected and embrace the crazy." With that said, Santana grinned and winked at the smaller girl before concentrating on parking the vehicle without crashing into the nearest tree or person. With Rachel around, it was always so easy to get distracted.

When Santana finally settled on a space, she immediately got out of the vehicle to politely open the door for Rachel, though she had to ask permission for it first since her girlfriend had a thing for independence. After assessing the things that would be needed, the girls proceeded to walk down a pleasant trail as they proudly held hands, despite some curious onlookers. Rachel sighed at the sight of the beautiful sun rising over the tall trees in this part of Ohio she hadn't explored before, the birds chirping with beautiful melodies in their hearts and the air oozing with passion and mystery. When they reached their reserved area, there was a mixed reaction from both girls. Although Santana saw that the expected load had been delivered as promised and the pre-arranged picnic had been set up as requested, there still remained a rather obnoxious problem. The tent Santana purchased and sent over to Noah came with instructions and apparently, the boy couldn't follow down the simplest steps ever written down in history as he was still attempting to fix it right up. Santana immediately became irritated at the sight she deemed pathetic, while Rachel tensed and backed away from the Hispanic girl. When Santana felt the signs of Rachel panicking, she didn't have to think twice about what she had to do first. "Babe, don't worry. Puck isn't trying to do anything to ruin our date, I asked him to set this up for me. He owed the both of us a favor. Please trust me, just let me go deal with his stupid ass." Rachel hesitated, but nodded towards Noah after Santana had taken the time to assure her. Santana caressed the singer's cheeks for a moment and placed a lingering kiss on her lips before turning her attention towards the self-proclaimed sex shark.

"Puckerman, are you stupid or are you just stupid? You were supposed to have this finished by now. The fuck is the problem?" Santana growled, nostrils flared and fists clenched at her sides. She wasn't angry, but she was quickly becoming impatient as this was supposed to be a perfect moment for herself and Rachel. The boy struggled to stand up from where he had been kneeling but looked up at Santana with obvious fear in his eyes. "Look, Lopez, I've been up since even before the sun decided to grace the day with its presence doing this for you. I'm trying really hard and I must be frustrated or something but I'm trying, okay? I know this means a lot to you but…I'm actually kind of determined to do this for her and myself too, to be a better person. I know this is like an unconventional apology or whatever, but uh…she never really deserved any of the shit I gave her." He said quietly, trying not to become overwhelmed by remorse since this was all new to him, but he'd been thinking a lot about his past actions and the consequences that came with them. He never used to care about other people's feelings but his own but because of what happened with Quinn and what she did to Rachel…well, he didn't like it. Guilt sucked, it totally emasculated him yet he wanted to set things right, especially with a fellow Jew who endured much more abuse than he ever did. Noah sighed, and dropped the things in his hands and stood up to cast a cautious glance over to where Rachel had been standing.

She awkwardly stood next to a tree, fiddling with her fingers as if they were the most interesting things on the planet and he knew had he not participated in breaking the girl that stood before him, she would be her normal, bubbly self with a demanding presence that would not be forgotten anywhere. This was a different Rachel Berry that he was not yet accustomed to and it was uncomfortable. She was making progress though, slowly blooming into the beautiful flower that she'd always been and once again be the passionate diva that made her the person she was meant to be. Puck was hoping this apology would set things in motion, to make up for all his past sins and feel better about himself as a human being because being the bully had never really been who he was meant to be. Santana noticed the softened expression on his face and decided to let up on him for just this one isolated incident. "Alright, I'll handle the rest of this complicated mess you made. You can go, but don't tell anyone I let you go without paying a price 'cause I've gotta keep my bitches in check." She told him firmly, allowing him to hesitate before walking away from the scene as quickly as he possibly could. Santana was not known for showing mercy or handing out second chances so he didn't dare question her. As he walked past Rachel, he stopped for just a second to meet her gaze before he had to look down at his feet in shame. Damn, those puppy dog eyes just killed him, made him feel worse as he walked away but in time, he would find the courage to verbally express his regrets and apologies.

When she was certain that he was gone, Rachel walked up to Santana with a questioning look but Santana shook her head. "I'll explain in due time but let's just say he was doing this because he wanted to clean his slate. Now come on, I'll fix the tent later but let me show you what I've been looking forward to this past week." Santana told the singer softly, her eyes sparkling with what she could describe as a look of pure admiration and love. The singer swooned, hypnotized by Santana's explosive feelings as she gave the girl a tour of the picnic setup. Rachel giggled at the sight of an old fashioned red and white checkered blanket underneath a rather large picnic basket and the necessary equipment to eat and drink the food that had been provided. The tent would provide shelter from the sun as it would be unusually hotter than normal but it would also be for them to relax and reminisce about their date before they headed home. Yeah, Santana had planned it exactly how Rachel Berry would have, so what? That wasn't even the best part. As the Hispanic girl took the singer towards a rather large and clumpy object hidden beneath a tarp set aside for them and this was where Santana looked truly excited. "Okay, you have to promise to not freak out on me but here's what I think would be an interesting thing we could do from time to time together, as a couple. If it makes you uncomfortable, I understand but Rach, you gotta believe me when I tell you this…I'd think it'd be smokin' hot to see you ride this thing." The Latina said, eagerly unveiling the mystery object as it took Rachel completely by surprise.

There it was, a beautiful quad that Santana had spent a couple years riding but even longer to save up for. Rachel stared wide eyed at the ATV she would soon find herself riding and as Santana patiently awaited her girlfriend's reaction, she was honestly expecting her to be uneasy about the visual suggestion but either way, she was here to spend time with her and have a good time. After what felt like a reasonable amount of time to think things over, Santana moved to cover the ATV until she was interrupted by Rachel. "Wait, wait – San, please don't cover it up. I-that thing looks terrifying but just looking at it is quite enthralling. Please, tell me what you know about this thing before I ask you to take me for a ride! I want to know everything regarding your interests and why you like it." Rachel cried out, reaching out to touch and closely inspect the quad before her. Santana was shocked to find that the singer would willingly adapt to something different but she didn't wish to ignore the gift that was being presented to her. A smile adorned her features as both girls walked around the four wheeled menace, Santana explaining the specs in great detail. "Well first of all, what I have is an '04 Yamaha Raptor 660R…," the Latina began as Rachel was sincerely curious about how much her girlfriend knew about riding and was impressed by her vast knowledge. Never before had Rachel shown interest in anything that didn't involve Santana, Glee, and Broadway musicals but this…this was something she could see herself experimenting with and if it meant she could spend more time with her girlfriend, then so be it.

After Santana spent the better half of twenty minutes explaining how one would be able to work it, she proceeded to show how Rachel could get it running without stalling, and how to control the speed and direction she would be going should she choose to ride it herself. When Santana dropped a duffel bag that had been casually hiding behind the Raptor, Rachel squealed in excitement when she found gear Santana carefully picked out for her. They spent quite some time getting geared up as they easily became distracted with each other i.e. feeling each other up, slapping one another's firm behind when they got the chance, etc. Santana had to admit that although Rachel looked totally adorable wearing knee pads and a black youth helmet with a gold star on it was cute, she also looked irresistible showing off those amazingly toned legs. "Alright, Rachel, I'm going to show you how to ride this thing like a motha fucking boss so get on, wrap those arms around me and hold on tight. I like it rough, fast, and dirty but enough about what our sex life is going to be like, let's get to it shall we?" The cheerleader joked, enjoying the way Rachel's laugh filled her ears. "If you were to ever enjoy a sex life with me, Santana, then I'd get onto getting this thing going right about now." Rachel whispered mischievously, motivating Santana to instantly kick start the quad before they shot off into the distance, exploring flat terrain and nearby trails along the way.

Rachel was having an absolute blast, much to her surprise, riding in a quad with Santana leading them further away from reality. If love was supposed to feel like flying, then she never wanted to stop soaring with the girl who had shown her the light. Santana, as cocky as she made herself out to be, finally felt accepted and loved by the one girl she had always held such strong feelings for. She may have a tough exterior but the girl holding her tightly from behind, made her heart beat faster with each passing second. Although she felt loved and accepted by Brittany, this was something entirely new and different and it felt so good. She never truly felt the need to be accepted by her peers since it came easy to her but all Santana had ever wanted was somebody who truly cared about her and expressed it without hesitation. Again, that came with Brittany, but this whole time she had been seeking that attention from _Rachel_ and now that she was hers, she didn't want to let that go ever. As Rachel called out to her that she wanted to take the Raptor out on her own…well, Santana didn't dare question why and pulled to a stop in order to teach the girl how to get it going and how the simplest maneuvering skills were needed to be understood. It took the singer ten-fifteen tries before she was able to get the engine running but all it took was five seconds before the girl toppled over to the side and gained a couple of minor scrapes and bruises. It was all in good fun, despite how concerned Santana was after the girl had accidentally inflicted injury upon herself but Rachel smiled, determined as ever to learn properly. Santana was irrevocably smitten.

This had gone on for well over two hours, the girls riding on and off again as they took turns with the Raptor, making a couple of cute videos and taking many pictures for their Facebook friends to look over. There was a moment in which Santana had stalked away from the quad to allow Rachel to ride and when she looked over, the girl had been standing in a particular spot that caught brilliant light and brought out the girl's beauty tenfold. The Latina took out her phone and aimed the camera when Rachel took a minute to observe their surroundings –click – and Santana took some time to admire the picture she took. As she was uploading the picture to her Facebook account, she hastily typed in "This is mine. Don't hate, appreciate" as the caption before her attention was turned back to the diva, who strode towards her with purpose. Rachel loosely flung her arms around the taller girl's neck and suddenly pulled her in for a sensual kiss. Santana actually gasped for a second before the singer took advantage of it and flicked her tongue across the Hispanic girl's lips. Rachel finally caught Santana's bottom lip and sucked on it hard, her tongue tearing through the seam. Almost immediately, the Latina succumbed to the kiss and allowed the other girl to fully explore her mouth with enthusiasm. Running her fingers up and down Rachel's back, her fingers finally settled for a loop hole in her shorts and tugged her body closer as they continued to kiss. Reluctantly pulling away for oxygen, Santana leaned forward until their foreheads touched, a smile forming on her thoroughly teased lips. "Mmm, what was that for, Rach?"

The only response she received was a shy smile before the girl dragged her towards the tent, which Santana had fixed not so long ago. When they entered, it wasn't long before the Latina felt herself being gently pushed onto her back on the blanket Santana laid out for them. As Rachel hovered above her, dark tresses acting as a curtain around Santana, the feisty cheerleader couldn't help but fidget in anticipation. Rachel was intimidating when she was on top because she always had this intense way of expressing how much she truly desired her. "Santana, do you trust me?" Rachel whispered confidently, her fingers threading through Santana's thick dark brown locks and all the Latina could do was shiver and shakily reply with a quiet yes. With that said, Rachel tightened her grip on the lock of hair she held in her hand and attacked Santana's mouth with open mouth kisses that incited the light tingling sensation to start pulsing hard within the Hispanic girl's core. Rachel licked and nipped with every kiss she had to give but her hands, at this moment, were far more courageous than her own lips and slowly but surely began to explore the body beneath them. Santana reacted vigorously, not ashamed in the least as her moans echoed in the small room around them. She eagerly parted her legs to allow Rachel to get comfortable but the other girl had different plans. Rachel's hands had boldly breached new territory, kneading the soft flesh of Santana's thighs, before she lowered herself to plant soft kisses on the sliver of skin that had been exposed due to the Latina's shirt riding up from the minor grinding that had occurred. Stopping herself before she dared to go any further(though a huge part of herself wanted to) Rachel leaned over the length of Santana's body again and laid against her. As both girls struggled to catch their breaths from one of the most intense sessions they've ever shared with one another, Rachel reached over for Santana's hand and clasped it with her own.

They remained silent for some time now, Rachel's head laying on top of Santana's chest as she hummed along to an unfamiliar tune the cheerleader couldn't quite recognize. "Rachel…I love you." She blurted out, unable to suppress the feelings she held for the diva any longer and for a brief second, the Latina would have regretted letting those three words slip out but any doubts she had disappeared the moment she felt Rachel tighten her grip on her hand. The girl looked up from where her head had been comfortable laying and her eyes twinkled with love and pure ecstasy when she met her gaze. Santana's heart squeezed a little at the sight and smiled, knowing fully well that Rachel felt the same way about her. For the remainder of the afternoon, the girls sang and shared laughter throughout the other activities they decided to participate in, they fed each other the various amount of fruits and vegan friendly chocolates Santana had brought with her but the only thing that really mattered to either of them the most was that they cherished the new memories they had created for the long run.

* * *

After what seemed like a long, but very productive day, the date had finallly come to a close and just as he promised, Noah conveniently showed up again to clean up after the girls though Rachel had insisted upon helping in order to appropriately clean up the environment. Santana merely rolled her eyes in response and had to drag Rachel away from the scene to take her home promptly at five thirty. By the time they had reached Lima, Ohio, the sky had been painted with a beautiful streak of gray, orange, and sky blue. Today had been the most fun Santana's ever had in a long time and she was sure Rachel felt the same way as the girl had been bouncing in her seat and chattering non-stop with a cheesy(but gorgeous) grin on her face for about half an hour now. They pulled into Rachel's neighborhood, slowing to a full stop when they approached her home. The Hispanic girl cast the bubbly singer an adoring look, her eyes slightly filled with regret that they couldn't spend any more time together today since they both had duties at home to attend to this evening and Sunday before they went to school on Monday. Rachel let herself out of the car but patiently waited for Santana to escort her to the front door. Santana took her hand and took her time in accompanying Rachel home, enjoying the comfortable silence in the air. When they made it to the doorstep, the singer turned to look up at Santana with an awestruck expression on her face. "Santana, although I detest the fact that we must depart tonight, I bid you a good night. You have fulfilled every girl's fantasy of experiencing the true ideals of romance in the most unconventional of ways. I had the best time tonight, San, and I owe it all to you. You're amazing…" Rachel exclaimed, throwing her arms around Santana. That Latina chuckled at the smaller girl's antics, returning the gesture with a gentle kiss on the diva's forehead. "It sucks that I can't see you tomorrow, but come Monday morning, I'll be outside your door to take you to school. I never want to forget what happened today, you made so incredibly happy. Goodnight, Rachel." After the girls separated themselves from one another, Santana waved goodbye and Rachel giddily waved back before barging into her own home and ran upstairs to her room. She shook with an immeasurable amount of pure happiness until she finally fell asleep that night.

-**MONDAY**; _8:20 AM_-

Monday rolled around and just like Santana had promised, she'd been waiting outside Rachel Berry's door in order to take her to school. Something felt entirely different, however, when both girls had walked in through the main entrance of the school, but it was…good feeling, something Rachel hadn't expected to notice after being with Santana for only such a short period of time. Santana strode through the hallways in her cheerios uniform, wearing the infamous smirk that intimidated others, holding Rachel's hand as they headed towards her locker. The sea of students parted for McKinley's newly christened power couple, some of the students looking quite indifferent towards Rachel's new status while others were genuinely confused. It wasn't that long ago that Quinn Fabray had ordered a full out slushie attack on the girl but now here she was, making cowardly students throw themselves into the nearest classroom when they saw her walking by. Santana Lopez made sure to glare at anybody who dared to throw a funny look at Rachel Berry and it seemed to get the message across. However, when her gaze fell upon _her_, Quinn Fabray, her blood boiled with rage as she observed the longing stare in her seemingly lifeless hazel eyes. The crowd continued to disperse, Rachel incessantly chatting about Glee and Santana listened, but refused to respond as she was ready to growl and strike at the former head Cheerios captain. The moment the couple walked towards the pregnant girl, Quinn had the nerve to call out to _her_ girl. "Rachel!" Despite how obvious it was that she was desperately trying to latch onto any attention she would receive from the girl, Rachel didn't even flinch. She kept smiling and looking up at Santana as they finally made it past the girl and Santana instantly relaxed, comforted by the fact that Rachel had learned to tough it out. Smirking cruelly, the Latina purposely shoulder checked the blond as she continued on her way to Rachel's locker. Once again, Rachel turned the other way and continued to ignore what had just transpired, no longer allowing the other girl any opportunities to get to her ever again.

As they walked away hand in hand, Quinn felt her heart plummet to the floor. She had been ignored and cast aside as if she were just another nobody in this pathetic little cow town she was forced to call home. Santana checking her on their way down the hall didn't hurt, no what hurt more was the fact that Rachel didn't even stop to make sure that she was okay. No, she kept going along with Santana and left her behind. It stung her so much knowing that the other girl had moved on and perhaps, it was for the best but it didn't mean that's what Quinn wanted. No, not at all. What she wanted was to be loved, to be cherished and she had that with Rachel but her stupid obsession with image, reputation and everything having to do with popularity destroyed all of what she had but lost. A single tear escaped, her heart clenching at the memories of what she had done to the girl came racing back and what was left of her conscience screamed, "You didn't deserve her." It killed her but there was nothing she could do. It was over. Quinn leaned against the lockers and sighed wistfully, watching the lovers from afar interact so casually and she couldn't help but envy Santana. If only things were different, she'd be the one holding Rachel's hand and not be the one carrying Noah Puckerman's child. Her thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice broke her out of her reverie. Puck had casually walked up beside her, with his hands in his pockets and an unsure look on his face. For the first time, he looked apologetic and human. "Quinn…I need to talk to you. Can you spare a minute?" Quinn, amazed by the fact that the boy had asked permission to spend time with her, nodded in approval as she needed an immediate distraction from her breaking heart. Maybe just one day, she would learn how to own up to her responsibilities and rectify the mistakes she had made in the past. Right now, she knew there would be a lot for her to endure but she had a feeling that she wouldn't be completely alone on the path towards redemption.

Santana was disgusted by that sickening look Quinn had been throwing them from afar but the girl knew better and had kept to herself this time. She would never forgive her for what she had done to Rachel but it seemed as if Rachel was no longer leading her life based on what happened in the past. She had moved on. When they approached Rachel's locker, they had found it occupied by one Brittany Pierce who couldn't stop staring adoringly at both of the girls. This time, Santana actually blushed because she knew she was so fucking unbelievably cheesy and Brittany could see right through her façade. "Hi! Rach, you looked so amazing in that outfit I picked out for you. Ugh and Santana, you couldn't have picked a more romantic quote for that picture you took of her beside the quad? It was so gorgeous!" The cheery blond scolded after greeting the both of them with hugs and kisses on the cheeks. Santana felt as though her body had been lit on fire as Rachel threw her head back in laughter, remembering the caption she read on the Hispanic girl's Facebook page. "Don't hate, Britt, or I will fucking pee on everything you love. I don't need this 'cause girls like me don't do feelings, especially at eight thirty in the freaking morning. You know this." Santana jokingly replied through a half smile/scowl, unable to decide whether or not she was actually embarrassed or annoyed. Rachel shook her head in disbelief as she watched the two girls before her argue back and forth over trifle things that didn't necessarily matter. Brittany eventually gave up and rolled her eyes, looking over at Rachel with a sly smile on her face.

"Come on, I'll walk my girlfriends to their classes 'cause I'm Brittany, bitch! That's how I roll." She told the girls as she encircled her arms around both Santana's and Rachel's waists. Santana raised her eyebrow in confusion whereas Rachel remained oblivious to the obvious hard time she was purposely giving her best friend "What do you mean by that, B? Is there something you gotta tell me or am I about to trip over nothing'?" Santana asked with a straight face, trying to ignore the mischievous look in Brittany's eyes. "Well, technically, since at one point you were my girlfriend and now that Rachel is yours, that ties her to me indirectly. What's yours is mine…" Brittany began, before emphasizing her point by suddenly picking Rachel up and carrying her bridal style. The singer had gasped in both surprise and delight, wondering the direction in which this conversation was going to go. "And what's mine is…well, it's mine. I win." Brittany said with a grin, before rapidly turning around and ran towards the stairs that led to the second floor with a giggling Rachel in tow. Santana stomped her foot in mild annoyance, wondering when her best friend would ever stop giving her such a hard time for being so in love and overprotective of Rachel. "I swear to God I love you, Britt, but that's it…I'm going Lima Heights on your ass. THAT'S MINE!" Santana yelled, the terror in her voice failing to intimidate as she couldn't help but laugh as she chased both girls around the entire school. The beautiful friendship between the three girls only intensified from there, a strong connection had formed the day they had befriended one another but now they each shared a special bond that neither one of them would ever forget.

As for Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry, their relationship progressed with each passing moment and it only continued to evolve throughout their high school career. The laughter, the tears, and the memories they created only brought them closer together and it was something that each girl was proud of. Rachel Berry, the upcoming Broadway star and actress found love and happiness with one Santana Lopez, a headstrong aspiring doctor who pieced together the one woman she loved with everything she had to give. Throughout the remainder of their high school days, they dedicated themselves to each other and only to one another, despite Brittany's occasional request for a threesome, and sought out to live their lives according to their plans. This was what it was to be young and in love…

* * *

**Final Author's Note:** _I apologize if the writing seemed shoddy, I am in the process of polishing it but yes, this was the intended final update that I long ago promised. Thank you once again to those who've stuck by me for quite some time, you guys mean a lot to me. Also, I don't want to give any hopes up but there might be a companion piece to this story that I would like to work on but I don't know, it's still in the works. In the meantime, I'll be experimenting a lot with different pairings and genres so don't be surprised if you see something weird and unusual written by me in the future. I hope you've all enjoyed…_


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